


An Encore

by lamekookie



Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 学園アリス | Gakuen Alice, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:26:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7209626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamekookie/pseuds/lamekookie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lives of three teenagers are more intertwined than they know, and with their most dangerous mission coming up, will they have defeated their demons by then or will their demons fight alongside them as they continue the path towards hellish killing? A crossover with Gakuen Alice/Alice Academy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Roses, carnations, or maybe a bundle of daffodils—those are the kinds of flowers Irene would be if she were a plant, Seulgi pondered, as she observed her from afar. Seulgi would probably just be a wildflower.

Like those flowers, she imagined Irene’s beauty would be accepted anywhere in the world. It doesn’t even matter that Irene belonged to the dangerous ability class; everyone still loved her all the same. Her dark hair complements her porcelain skin perfectly, and Seulgi never missed the way her skin absorbs the sunlight, making her look absolutely radiant in every way, almost ethereal. How can someone look like that? More over, how can someone like that be friends with her? Sometimes, Seulgi doesn’t understand how the world works.

Irene started to laugh at something Chanyeol said; it was most likely a joke at someone else’s expense, knowing his cheeky personality. Irene throws her head back in complete laughter, putting a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder. At that specific moment, Seulgi felt very envious of Irene, not because of her closeness with Chanyeol, not at all, but because everything seemed so easy for her. Seulgi sometimes wished things were easier for her, too, but there’s nothing that can be done about the past, and it was more harmful to look back into it rather than face the future, she thought.

When Seulgi first entered the academy, at the tender age of five, she certainly did not get the same reception as Irene had. When Irene entered the academy at age seven, she wasn’t afraid to tell everyone that she had a dangerous ability Alice. One would think that people would stay away or bully her; but no, it was actually the opposite that had happened. Perhaps Irene had one of those rare skills of being likeable no matter where she went.

Whereas for Seulgi, she was told to actively conceal her alice from her classmates as much as possible, because for some reason, earrings and other nullifiers didn’t work on her, and her alice was indeed a very difficult alice to control.

Seulgi didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She didn’t want to use her alice on her friends—of course she didn’t. She was only a kid, and like any other kid, she just wanted to have friends. But Sulli just kept on blocking her way, tempting her to use her alice so that she’ll move away. If only Seulgi didn’t reveal her alice before then maybe. . .

“You’re staring again.” Yoongi observed, as he turned a page in the book he was reading. He wasn’t even looking at her as he spoke.

She was starting to get embarrassed at the number of times Yoongi caught her staring at Irene. Seulgi wondered what he thought of all that staring—did he think she liked Irene in a romantic way? She supposed that would be better than finding out the truth. She already had the weird Alice; she didn’t want to have the weird personality too.

“No, I wasn’t.” She mumbled in reply.

Seulgi fiddled with the numerous rings on her fingers. Somehow, alice nullifiers recently started working on her—when she turned 17, precisely, so it’s only been a year since then. Onew didn’t know the explanation either, but he was more than happy that perhaps Seulgi could finally get a semblance of a normal life. Did he really think people could just forget what she’s done in the past, though? Seulgi didn’t think so at all, but the thought was appreciated, she supposed.

Yoongi gave her a look before returning his attention to his book. It was one of his I’m-sure-you-were-staring-at-her-but-I-don’t-care-enough-to-tease-you-about-it looks. She was always the recipient of that look. Did Seulgi wish she had gotten a friendlier, perhaps a more approachable partner? Sometimes. But a distant one, like Yoongi, gives her exactly the peace she needs from human contact, even if it’s just a small reprieve.

Actually, they had a good six inches between them, but she wished there was more. Seulgi was antsy to get away from his constantly knowing eyes, but unfortunately, partners weren’t allowed to leave each other’s sides during class. It didn’t matter that much, anyway; Alice classes always end ridiculously early, so she only had to put up a bit more.

Seulgi distracted herself by looking at the clock that was hung in front of the room, its ticking hands so slow she imagined if she blinked it still wouldn’t have moved. Onew was already fifteen minutes late, unsurprisingly. Perhaps he’s being held by another meeting with the principal, already making negotiations concerning the next missions. 

Her head was already beginning to spin at the thought of another mission. Onew had been sending her on missions for six years now, and they were so frequent that Seulgi can’t even recall her first ever mission. Most dangerous ability students never forget their mission, though; the first time they were tasked to kill.

“Seulgi,” Jungkook tapped her shoulder from behind.

She blinked the thoughts away and turned around to face the maknae of her mission group. Many people used to be afraid of Jungkook and his terrifyingly mysterious Alice, and it didn’t help that he used to have a quiet personality. When Seulgi heard about his Alice she didn’t feel scared at all—she was relieved to hear that, for once, someone had it worse than her, which was a horrible thought, Seulgi admitted, but she can’t help but to have felt that way. 

Nowadays, though, he’s doing pretty well. Seulgi would never say it to his face for fear that his ego would burst, but she would even say that he became charming. Perhaps puberty has done him well, if she thought about it. “What’s up, Jungkook?” 

He tilted his head and smiled at her. “Let’s train together after class, okay?” Nowadays, though, Jungkook seems to have more of a grasp as to how to deal with people, because he’s probably the most popular guy in his year, even with his Alice. Seulgi still couldn’t wrap her head around that fact.

Namjoon, the leader of their group who was sitting beside him, hit the back of his head. “Hey, she’s still your sunbae, Jungkook. Don’t talk to her informally.”

Seulgi sent a glance towards Namjoon. “It’s alright, really. I gave him permission in the first place, oppa.”

Jungkook rubbed the back of his head. “I wouldn’t have done it otherwise, hyung.” he mumbled, but a ghost of a smile remained on his face.

Seulgi smiled at her junior. “Let’s train tomorrow morning before class instead, okay?”

Namjoon leaned back into his seat, a teasing smile already on his face. “Why not train with him later, Seulgi? I’m sure you have time.” She avoided his eyes. He was teasing her again, but she never took the bait. 

Seulgi always spent her evenings roaming the Western Forest, where less people pass by, compared to the Northern Forest. For some reason, like there was a silent thrum she found herself attracted to, that place always seemed to call to her, so much so that it didn’t feel right to not go there at least once a day. Only a few of her friends know about this, mostly Irene, Jungkook, and now, Namjoon.

“You’re the only person I would wake up early for, noona.” Jungkook gave her an innocent smile. 

Seulgi could only roll her eyes at him. “Try again next time, maknae.” Jungkook laughed at her stoic response.

Seulgi found it extremely ironic for a person with such an innocuous face could have the most terrifying alice in the entire academy and was about to say so, but just then Onew entered the room, making everyone stop what they were doing and obediently face the front in silence. He took his time placing his stuff on his desk, making everyone nervous with anticipation. Without looking up, he called for the two leaders to stand.

Namjoon and Irene stood up in unison. “Are all your members present today?” He finally looked up, his deadpan look immediately darting between the two leaders.

“Bear, Suga, and Seagull are here, sir.” Namjoon reported, calling them by their aliases.

“Yeol, Jimin, and Mark are also here, sir.” Irene calmly said after him.

Onew glanced at everyone, confirming the leaders’ reports. Finally, he nodded once in satisfaction. “The principal assigned us with two missions catered specifically for each team,” Namjoon and Irene stepped forward to accept the folders Onew were handing to them. “Both missions are code red, so I expect all of you to be in your best shape. Response?”

“Yes, sir.” They replied in unison. The energy was finally starting to rise in the room. Everyone was eager to learn more about these new missions, but more importantly, they can’t wait to be dismissed early from class.

“Good. You may now do as you please.” Everyone started getting up from their seats. “Seagull, Bear, a word.” Onew beckoned the two over.

Seulgi sent a worried glance towards Jungkook before making their way towards the front. Onew put his hands in his pockets and studied the two students. “How are you two holding up?” 

Jungkook scratched the back of his head. He and Seulgi have been training separately other than with their respective partners because of their extremely dangerous and volatile Alices for a while now, and they had the bruises to prove it. “I haven’t had any problems… so far,” he sheepishly said, casting a glance towards Seulgi.

“He’s controlling himself really well, Onew,” She admitted. Jungkook’s alice was truly a sight to behold and was not for the weak at heart, but he’s been excellent at controlling it recently. It seems their early morning practices seem to be paying off. Honestly, if Seulgi’s alice wasn’t monstrous itself, she would have had a hard time witnessing his alice, let alone help him control it.

“That’s good to hear,” Onew slowly replied. “And how has our Seulgi been doing, Jungkook?”

He seems surprised. “I think she’s doing well, sir, but uh—“ he peeked at his back. “You should probably ask Yoongi hyung instead.”

Seulgi gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to have to face Yoongi if she could help it. She didn’t know what she ever did to him, but she’s always felt his hostile vibes towards her, and she didn’t want to fan the flame any more than she has to. “I’m doing fine, Onew. Have you heard of any bad news about me? No, right? So, it’s all good.” She curtly nodded.

Onew raised an eyebrow at her unusual curt attitude, but didn’t push the topic any further. Instead, he shared a glance with Jungkook, who was busy trying to hold in his smile. “Well, if there’s nothing… Then, both of you are dismissed.” He walked away then, presumably to call the next students over.

“Noona, why do you dislike Yoongi hyung so much?” Jungkook asked as they walked out of the classroom along with their other classmates. 

Seulgi sighed. “I don’t hate Yoongi oppa, okay? It’s not like that.”

A few chattering students passed by the two, and they immediately went quiet when they recognized the two dangerous students. They gave Seulgi envious, but mostly scared, glances, but they were all over Jungkook.

Jungkook, however, coolly ignored their looks. He was probably already used to girls fawning over him, the cheeky maknae that he is. “Okay, you don’t hate him, but… you avoid him?”

Seulgi should have been used to the other students’ treatment, and yet her heart always gets an unpleasant sting whenever they look at her that way. “It’s just… he doesn’t like me, so I just want to make it easier for him by not being around him too much.” 

“How do you know he doesn’t like you, noona? I mean, it’s Yoongi hyung. He’s like that pretty much towards everyone, sometimes even towards me.” It was a legitimate question, but Seulgi didn’t want to tell him why she was certain about Yoongi’s opinion of her, so she quickened her pace. “Your questions are making me hungry,” she mumbled.

In no effort at all, Jungkook matched her steps, thanks to his towering height. He wisely chose to go along with her change of topic. “Let’s go to the cafeteria, then. It’s not like we’re going to train right now anyway, right, Seulgi?”

It felt strange to hear just her name from Jungkook’s voice, but Seulgi finds that she prefers he called her by her name rather than with honorifics. Not missing the sarcasm, she replied with, “We’re not going train now because we’re going to train tomorrow, right, Jungkook?” 

Jungkook sighed. “I get it, noona.” He perked up. “Can I come with you tonight, instead?”

Seulgi glanced at him. “The forest?” He eagerly nodded.

She shrugged. “Do what you want.” He always did, anyway, regardless of the consequences. It’s something you either love or hate about Jeon Jungkook, she concluded.

They were already nearing the cafeteria connected to the dormitory, thanks to the short distance between the dangerous ability classroom and the main dorm. Seulgi’s stomach was starting to grumble at the smell wafting from within the doors. “You’re eating with Jimin, Namjoon oppa and the others tonight?” Seulgi asked nonchalantly.

She was constantly worried about Jungkook and whether he would be alone in this academy because that’s how she felt when she first entered, but to her surprise, he made good friends almost instantly. Granted, his friends are also from the dangerous ability class, but Seulgi didn’t think his friends were bad news. He probably didn’t need her concern, but she felt like giving it anyway, since it was her duty to a dongsaeng more than anything. 

“They’re probably already there.” Jungkook commented. “Irene noona and the others will be with you?” It was his turn to look at her with concern.

Seulgi tiptoed to ruffle his hair. “I’ll be alright, Jungkook.”

Unconvinced, he tugged her free hand as they were walking. “Seulgi…” His voice sounded uncharacteristically serious. Their eyes met with silent sincerity—only Jungkook truly understood how terrified Seulgi always felt in public places.

She squeezed his hand tight before letting go. “Yes, my friends will be with me. Are you happy?” She found it particularly endearing whenever Jungkook worried for her, but he didn’t have to worry about anything. Seulgi’s been taking care of herself ever since she was born.

And what was the point in getting attached to people, even if they were her friends? People always, always leave, no matter what. It may not have been their choice, it may have been a pleasant exit, but the bottomline is that no one remains a constant in her life. Not even her secretly precious maknae beside her.


	2. Kang Seulgi

The two of them stopped walking when they reached the front door of the cafeteria. Jungkook opened the door for her, the gentleman he always tries to be. 

“Wah, the cafeteria’s packed tonight,” Seulgi nervously commented. Almost all the tables were already occupied; it would be an awful chore to look for her friends.

Jungkook spotted his friends almost immediately; it was hard to look past Jimin’s bright orange hair. 

“Where’s your table, Seulgi-yah?” Not even bothering to hide his concern for her, he also looked for Seulgi’s friends.

People were beginning to stare at them, and it took all of Seulgi’s willpower to look calm and composed. Being with Jungkook is like a double edged sword, she always thought; Seulgi felt the most comfortable around him, but it was also with him when she feels the most uncomfortable because of all the attention the two of them get together. 

“Found them,” Seulgi sighed in relief. In that moment, she was thankful Wendy and Yeri decided to dye their hairs with light colors , making them stand out among a sea of brunettes. “Take care, alright, K  
ookie?” She squeezed his shoulder.

He gave her a small smile. “You too, Seulgi-yah. I’ll see you later, okay?”

She waved at him before turning to walk towards her table. It was pretty far from where she stood; Seulgi silently cursed at Irene for picking such a troublesome table.

“Guys, look, it’s that girl.” Someone muttered as she walked pass them. Seulgi breathed deeply, fiddling with the numerous rings on her fingers. This was standard for her and she had to get used to it. She made it a point to only look at where she was going, completely ignoring her peripheral vision. Honestly, it was always suffocating to be in the cafeteria for Seulgi, so much so that she felt her head was starting to hurt again.

Thankfully, Seulgi soon reached her table. Irene, Joy, Wendy, and Yeri were already there, and of course, the two youngest girls were already animatedly discussing something. Irene saw her first, so she immediately scooted to make space for her. 

“What’s up with you and our little Kookie, huh?” Irene teased as Seulgi sat down. Outside of their dangerous ability class, Irene always looks so friendly and approachable, almost emitting a motherly vibe. Seulgi never missed a day when she didn’t point that out, but Irene just doesn’t want to admit it.

“Unnie! I missed you today!” Yeri, who was at her other side, hugged her fiercely. Seulgi awkwardly patted her junior’s head. Yeri was the Jungkook of her small circle of friends, and sometimes, Seulgi thought that she was exactly the female version of him. She had that rare skill of attracting people wherever she went, and also the fact that Yeri clung on to her, regardless of her Alice.

Seulgi gave Irene a look while she played with Yeri’s cheeks. “Unnie, no…”

Wendy chimed in. “Hear me out, Seulgi. I think you and Jungkook would totally—“

“Seulgi unnie, everyone’s going to be so jealous of you! Jungkook’s the most popular guy in our year!” Joy interrupted Wendy, earning a hearty slap on her arm.

Seulgi rolled her eyes. “Yah, Jungkook and I are just friends.” On the inside, however, Seulgi was surprised to hear Jungkook’s immense popularity, even within her little group of friends. With such a dangerous Alice, people tend to ostracise that person, no matter how attractive he or she may be—but she supposed Jungkook will always be the exception to everything.

Irene pushed her uneaten sandwich towards her. She knew Seulgi didn’t like the extravagant food served to Special Stars* like her in the cafeteria. It attracted too much attention, and it was too much food, anyway. So, she and Irene agreed to just eat one of the other when they’re together.

Seulgi sniffed at the sandwich, trying to guess what’s inside before tasting it. “It sure didn’t look that way when the two of you entered the cafeteria together,” Irene commented.

Seulgi gave her an exasperated look. “I’m just looking out for him, is that bad? And he’s my team’s maknae, I treat him exactly the way I treat Yeri.”

“Why does my heart flutter whenever I see you and Jungkook together, then? Explain that!” Wendy exclaimed. Always a hopeless romantic, Wendy had always pushed Jungkook and Seulgi to be a couple. Seulgi always ignores her claims.

Yeri clung on to Seulgi’s right arm, sounding unusually calm. “It’s not that it’s bad, unnie, it’s just that everyone else will think that you two are dating. Which, you know, isn’t a bad idea, either.”

Using her free arm, Seulgi took the sandwich and bit into it. It was a Tuscan Tuna and Bean sandwich, a surprisingly pleasant combination. Not that Seulgi was going to flaunt her obnoxious knowledge on sandwiches out loud. “Let them think what they want. They already do, anyway.” She mumbled.

“Unnie…” Yeri squeezed her arm. The mood of the table started to darken; Seulgi felt guilty for ruining the atmosphere, so she just ate her sandwich in silence.

Joy cleared her throat. “Now, on to less depressing topics…” Wendy gave her a look, which she pointedly ignored. 

“The masquerade ball is in two weeks!” There was always something to appreciate in her small circle of friends; one of which, was Joy’s never-ending enthusiasm towards probably everything.

Yeri squealed in delight. “My first masquerade ball!” She sighed. “I want to have a handsome partner!”

Irene chuckled. “I’m sure lots of guys will want to go with you, Yeri.” Seulgi squeezed Yeri’s cheek again in affirmation.

Wendy threw a piece of bread towards Irene. “Yah, aren’t you going with Seokjin oppa?”

Irene rolled her eyes. She hated how Wendy always brought up the topic of her ex. “I’m not going with anyone because I’m the committee head, remember?”

“You should totally go with Hoseok oppa, though, unnie.” Joy commented as she sipped on her drink.

Seulgi’s eyes widened. “You two are together?” Irene has always been into pretty boys, like Seokjin or Chanyeol, who were both her exes, so it was a bit of a surprise for Seulgi to hear that Irene may be interested in Hoseok.

Irene closed her eyes. “No, we’re not, so cut it out already, Joy.” Seulgi thought it a bit peculiar for Irene to get irritated easily over something like this, considering her easygoing personality. Seulgi gave Irene a look which she pointedly ignored.

“What about you, Seulgi? You have to go with our little Kookie!” Wendy teased as Joy cheered on. 

“Well, if you’re not going to go with him, can you ask him to go with me instead, unnie?” Joy showed her trademark aegyo, complete with her twinkling eyes. Seulgi and Wendy both laughed in response. 

Yeri chimed in. “Actually, unnie, Jungkook is—“

Irene enthusiastically cut in. “—This year will be way better than last year, I promise you.” She and Seulgi shared a meaningful look. Last year’s masquerade ball was a dark memory for Seulgi and it wasn’t something she wants to remember. Her heart still ached to think about the things that happened during that night.

She sighed. “Look, if he wants to go with me, then I don’t mind going with him. Just know that Jungkook’s really popular, so I doubt he’d want to go with me. Maybe he really will go with you, Joy.” 

Yeri clapped her hands resolutely. “He’s definitely going to ask you, unnie. I guarantee it.”

“As friends.” Seulgi reminded them. A collective sigh arose from their table. 

“Our poor little Kookie, rejected before even making a move.” Wendy held a hand over her heart and did an exaggerated sigh. 

“Yah! Who are you talk like that? Have you forgotten about Taehyung already?” Irene scolded her.

Wendy’s face started to redden. “What about him, unnie…” Everyone in the table laughed at her reaction. Even Seulgi’s dark mood started to vanish a bit. 

Joy pointed at her. “We all know he’s been telling everyone how much he likes you so just go out with him already! Geez, unnie!” Another chorus of laughs emanated from their table.

Right then, Seulgi felt a soft hum coming from inside her head. 

Guys.   
Meeting in five minutes.   
Don’t be late or I’ll mess with your heads.   
I’m talking to you, Jungkook.

Seulgi sighed. Namjoon was using his extreme telepathy Alice again as a way to gather his team. Perhaps she was old fashioned, but couldn’t he have just set a time beforehand? She didn’t like the idea that someone can easily enter her head and mess with it, even if it was her leader.

She started eating her sandwich quickly. “Anyway,” Wendy cut off Joy’s impending speech about a random topic again. “We need to buy dresses for the masquerade ball, at the very least!”

“Unnie, we don’t have to buy, though?” Yeri looked at her questioningly. Since Wendy only transferred to the academy a little over two years ago, she still didn’t know about some of their procedures. 

“The academy gives us all the same things, usually,” Joy frowned. “But for a ball, they usually let us choose between two types of dresses! Let’s get the same one.” She held hands with Yeri, squealing with excitement.

I’m waiting.

Namjoon was sending her waves of guilt, she was sure of it, even though he literally just sent his first telepathic waves mere seconds ago. “Guys, I have to go.” Seulgi sighed as she popped the last bit of sandwich into her mouth. 

Yeri opened her mouth to whine, but Irene beat her to it. “Go do what you have to do, Seulgi. I’ll get the robot nanny** to bring dinner to your room later.”

“Unnie! Can I sleep in your room tonight? Your room’s just so big!” Yeri tugged at her hand. 

Seulgi bit her lip. She was fond of Yeri and thought of her as a precious dongsaeng, but she wasn't sure she’s comfortable with letting people in her room just yet.

She was about to reject her, but right then she saw Irene give her a stern look. They knew each other too well; Irene was saying with her eyes that Seulgi better say yes or else there will be consequences. 

GUYS.

And the award for most impatient person on Earth goes to Kim Namjoon, she annoyingly thought. “Crap,” She murmured. “Sure, okay. But I might be back a bit later, so you don’t have to wait for me.”

“Yay! I love you, Seulgi unnie!” Yeri hugged her. The others could only laugh at Yeri’s stubborn clinginess towards her.

“Okay, I really have to go guys. See you!” She scrambled off her chair, hurrying her steps. She may make fun of Namjoon most of the time, but he can be scary without having to use his Alice if he has to be. She really didn’t want to invoke his anger. Not right now, at least.

Once again ignoring everyone around her, she slithered out of the table maze and out of the cafeteria. “Noona!” She stopped in her tracks, causing the person behind to bump into her hard. 

Surprised, Seulgi quickly stepped out of the person’s way. “Oh—Kookie?”

His mouth tilted upwards naturally as he spoke. “Let’s go together?”

She shrugged, so off the two of them went towards the meeting location. “Weren’t you with Namjoon oppa just earlier? And you’re still late?”

Jungkook shook his head. “Noona, you know how hyung is—he likes to make me suffer.” Soon, they neared the entrance towards the Northern Forest, the least popular forest in the vast academy, just for its eerie vibe.

Seulgi personally thought it was all Namjoon’s fault as to why the place was scary. It was probably all his telepathic waves indirectly messing with everyone else’s heads  
.   
“Or,” she spotted a flower in the distance and blinked at it. “He just wants to see you put in a bit of effort for once.” In less than a second, the flower started getting bruises from its petals, its stem, until they reached the root. 

The flower was a beat up mess in less than five seconds. Jungkook didn’t even bother to look at it. “What are you saying, Seulgi? I always make an effort in everything I do!” He looked at her then, his eyes lit with passion.

Seulgi couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’m sure you do, Jungkook.” Soon enough, they reached a small gazebo in the forest. Namjoon and Yoongi were already there, lounging on chairs.

“I said to be here in five minutes,” Namjoon said loudly as the two entered the gazebo.

“It hasn’t even been three minutes, oppa,” Seulgi calmly replied. She opted to lean against one of the posts while Jungkook went off to sit on the chair beside Yoongi, who had his eyes closed.

Namjoon rolled his eyes. “The point was to make it here as soon as you can,” Seulgi was about to argue her case, but he suddenly took a piece of paper from his back pocket. “Anyway, since we’re complete, let’s start talking about our next mission.

Like Onew said, it’s code red. I need you guys to be in your best condition. This means no unnecessary food and liquid intake. No communicating with people outside our mission group.” Seulgi couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. 

“We already know all of that,” Yoongi commented, his eyes still closed. “So, what’s the mission?”

Namjoon coughed. “We’re going to infiltrate one of Z’s*** warehouses and steal all the Alice stones**** they have there. We’re instructed to execute whoever gets in our way—“

“—because they’re all criminals who’ve been sentenced to death anyway.” Jungkook finished, sharing a look with Seulgi.

“Yeah, and the Alice stones are being illegally traded, anwyay,” Namjoon glared at the maknae for his interruption. “You’re all excused from your classes tomorrow—the mission will be on the night after that. Jungkook, you and Seulgi will have the entire morning to yourselves for control practice tomorrow. Yoongi hyung, while Seulgi’s busy, I’ll practice with you. In the afternoon, partners will practice with each other. Evening is for individual practice.

Is that clear?” Namjoon looked at them one by one, only moving on if the member nods his or her head. 

“Good,” He nodded himself. “Jungkook, I’ll be needing you to remove some of your Alice restrictions for the mission, maybe the earrings on your left ear, so practice on how to control your Alice without them with Seulgi, got it?”

Jungkook nervously fiddled with his ear. “Okay,” he quietly replied. Seulgi sent an encouraging look towards the maknae. 

“Here’s the map of the warehouse,” Namjoon distributed copies of the map of the warehouse to the other three. “The red route will be Yoongi hyung and Seulgi’s path, and the blue one will be mine and the Jungkookie’s. It’s a high-security warehouse; it’s probably one of their biggest. The other team will be working with us too, but they’ll be focusing more on creating a distraction for us to retrieve the alice stones.”

“And how many criminals are we expected to encounter in the warehouse?” Yoongi casually asked as he studies the map. 

“They’re holding 500 men there, last time Onew’s spy checked.” 

Seulgi had to raise her eyebrows at that. “That’s… a lot, oppa,” she nervously commented. The most number of men they’ve had to deal as a group was 200, and even that was a tough mission for them. It’s only been a year since then; did Onew really think they could pull this off?

“There’s more,” Namjoon coughed once more. “Taeyong…. Might be there.”

This set the group in silence. Taeyong wasn’t just another Alice academy runaway; he was the runaway. With his eye-contact pheromone alice, he could manipulate people with just his eyes—unless one wore a special kind of glasses that was incredibly rare to find, no one can be immune to his power. He was the most popular guy in the academy back then because it seemed like he had it all; he was part of the esteemed Student Council, had stellar grades, hung out with other cool people, was one of the most good-looking boys in the academy, and had a powerful Alice. 

In fact, he had been part of the dangerous ability class, in a mission group much like this one, just a few years back. Seulgi had even been part of that mission group. She had always known Taeyong to be such a gentle person, even with his Alice. They had been close friends at that time, and there could have secretly been something more between the two, had he not been influenced by the people from Z. 

Now, he works as one of Z’s bosses, occasionally clashing with their mission groups but always finding a way to escape in the end. This is the first time Seulgi’s team will meet with him, though, which makes it even worse.

“He was our former teammate,” Namjoon softly said. Seulgi nibbled on her lip. “But I don’t want any of you to spare mercy on him, okay? He’ll probably use his Alice to influence us, so don’t even think about trying to maintain eye contact with him. Seulgi,” She looked at him a bit frightfully, but his face was calm. “He’ll probably try to get you the most out of all of us. You have to be aware of that, okay?”

She took a deep breath, then nodded. “Yoongi hyung, do whatever you have to do if Taeyong attempts anything.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Yoongi said with certainty. Seulgi wished she had that certainty as well.

Namjoon sighed. “This may be our toughest mission yet, and not because of the number of men,” Seulgi couldn’t help but agree on that. “Alright, everyone, meeting over. I’d like to enjoy a bit of sleep before tomorrow’s physically exhausting events.” And with that, he left the gazebo without another word. 

Yoongi faced Seulgi. “Hey,” he called out to her. Surprised, her eyes widened when she met his. “Taeyong isn’t the same guy we hung out with before, okay? He’s not the kid you grew up with anymore. I hope you don’t forget that.”

“I know,” she quietly replied. And she did, truly. “I’m just not sure… I mean, how can I… just attack him?”

“Just think of him as the 501st man, noona,” Jungkook said. “Just another man. Taeyong hyung should already be dead to our eyes.”

“Our maknae’s right,” Yoongi agreed. “But in case things go wrong, I’ll be there. I’ve never liked Taeyong, so he can’t influence me without using his Alice first,”

He ruffled Jungkook’s hair. “Anyway, see you guys tomorrow.” He did a small salute towards Seulgi, then off he went as well.

Seulgi sighed as she massaged her head. The thrum in her head’s getting stronger now, and with the sudden news Namjoon gave, it only made her headache worse. “I don’t know if we can pull this off.” she whispered, afraid that Namjoon might somehow hear her cowardice thoughts.

“Seulgi-yah…” Jungkook approached her, also leaning against the post but had his body faced towards her. “We’ll make it. I know we can. I mean, we’ve always made it against the odds, haven’t we?” He gave her a cheeky smile, attempting to cheer her up.

“This is different, Jungkook,” she looked at him. “There’s a reason why Onew never let us get missions where we might bump into Taeyongie… ani, Taeyong. He was our former teammate. I practically grew up with him! I just…” She looked away. “… I’m not sure if I’m ready to face him just yet.”

Jungkook stroked her cheek as he made her face him again. “But he betrayed us, Seulgi. He betrayed the entire academy. He wasn’t the person we thought he was.”

Seulgi looked into Jungkook’s fire-lit eyes. How can he say those words so resolutely? She shook her head. “I probably just need time to mentally prepare myself.” 

She pushed herself off the post, making Jungkook drop his hand from her face. “I… I think I need to go the Western Forest by myself tonight.” She squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jungkookie.”

Jungkook frowned. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yeah, I just need time to think about what’ll happen in a few days, that’s all. We can always go together next time.” She smiled at his attitude when he doesn’t get what he wants. Another charm for the maknae, she supposed.

He brightened up. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then, okay, noona? Seulgi-yah? Don’t forget—you’re all mine tomorrow morning!”

Seulgi blushed. “Yah, we’re training the entire morning tomorrow, I’m not exactly sure that’ll be fun.”

Jungkook tilted his head as he gave her his lopsided smile. “It doesn’t matter what we do, as long as I’m with you, then I’m sure I’ll have fun.”

Seulgi shook her head as she laughed. “Look at you, being so bold. And to think you still don’t have a girlfriend… Man, those girls don’t stand a chance against you, Jungkookie.”

Jungkook groaned. “Seulgi-yah…”

She waved at him. “I really have to go, Jungkook. I’ll see you tomorrow!” And she dashed off deeper into the forest, knowing a shortcut from the Northern to the Western Forest. She may have looked fine as she conversed with Jungkook, but she felt like her head was going to split open if she didn’t make her way near the Western Forest. “Stupid forest, you’re the least of my concern right now,” she mumbled as she swiftly climbed a tree and dashed off from branch to branch, which was a faster option than just simply sprinting in the uneven forest grounds.

Dusk was just arriving, the sun barely a dot in the horizon. Seulgi hurried up her pace even more. She couldn’t wait to finally be by herself in the Western Forest, where she was sure no one would dare venture into. Unless that person was screwed in the head, maybe then. In fact, that might be a good thing; Seulgi might meet someone who was experiencing the same weird sensations as she does. So far, though, she hasn’t encountered anyone.

Maybe tonight will be different, she desperately hoped.

 

*Special Stars - (From Gakuen Alice wiki) Also known as "Principals", Special Star students are the true geniuses of the Academy. There are currently only seven students with the Special Star ranking: Seulgi, Irene, Jungkook, Yoongi, Namjoon, Jimin, and Taehyung. A Special star student is represented by one pin on the shirt/cuff: a single star enclosed in a circle.  
Special Stars receive:  
~Extremely large food portions  
~No chores  
~Many benefits  
~Monthly Allowance: 1000 Rabbit (1000 US dollars)  
**Robot Nanny - a robot found within the dormitory. It serves to clean the hallway, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Occasionally can be bribed to do small favours.  
***Z - an anti-Alice organization.  
****Alice stone - stones that have an Alice power in them. Grants the consumer with a temporary Alice.


	3. Park Jimin

It was a day like any other in the dangerous ability classroom, with the students being noisy as usual, but not being daring enough to stand from their seats in fear of Onew’s constantly watching eyes—even though he wasn’t actually there yet. 

It was almost five in the afternoon, meaning that Onew’s been late for more than an hour. It was nothing new, though. The dangerous ability professor is notoriously known for never having a sense of urgency, no matter what the situation. 

Jimin had his head propped up with his left hand as he tried to listen to Chanyeol’s story. It was mostly a lose cause, however—it seemed that everyday, Chanyeol had a suitcase full of stories he couldn’t wait to tell everyone, and there was only so much Jimin could absorb. 

“Baekhyun and I were on our way back to the dorm, and we saw the weirdest thing…”

Jimin was looking at Chanyeol, but in his peripheral view there was the other mission team who sat a few tables behind his team, and he couldn’t help but pay attention to them as well. At the very back were Namjoon and Jungkook, both doing their own thing. Seulgi, who sat beside Yoongi, looked like she was daydreaming. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, as usual, allowing everyone to see her fairy-like ears. She had her head propped up with both her hands, and she was quiet amidst the noise of the classroom.

She looks lovelier today than usual, Jimin’s thoughts wandered over to her.

“… Yah! What kind of story was that!” Irene, who sat beside Jimin, laughed as she slapped Chanyeol’s shoulders. Jimin laughed to make it look like he listened, but his ears were listening to something else.

“You’re staring again,” He barely heard Yoongi say to his partner, Seulgi. There isn’t a day when Jimin wasn’t jealous of that fact—thankfully, no one but himself knows about it. He and Yoongi were close, but—look, not even Taehyung knew about Seulgi, and this was Taehyung, his best friend.

She was staring? At whom? Jimin wondered. He itched to steal a glance at her, but there was something holding him back—he didn’t want Irene’s hawk eyes to notice. His leader was incredibly instinctive; she could tell from the slightest movements what they could mean, and she was usually right about it.

And there was no way in hell Jimin was going to risk Irene, of all people, to know about his little crush on Seulgi. The two girls have been friends for a long time, so, if she found out about it, there’s no doubt that Seulgi would know eventually as well.

“Jimin-ah, are you listening?” Jimin brought his attention back to Chanyeol, who was looking at him funnily.

“What is it, hyung?” He replied. Chanyeol was part of their mission group as well, but the two never really became close. He was still a hyung, though, so Jimin still had a lot of respect for him.

Chanyeol leaned in from his seat. “Who’s our little Jiminnie asking to the ball, huh?” He snickered. Hanbin, who sat beside Chanyeol, listened closely with a matching expression.

“This should be interesting,” Irene joined in. “Isn’t Jimin-ah really popular towards the ladies recently? Yah, you’ve really grown up!”

Jimin blushed. “Aniyo, noona! I don’t think so at all.” It was true, Jimin wanted to argue. He didn’t feel his popularity, even though everyone around him has been saying otherwise. He didn’t care for it either way; he wasn’t the type to care about such things in the first place.

“Hyung, you don’t have to be so humble,” Jaehyun grinned, earning a smack on the head by Jimin.

“What about you, huh, Jaehyun? How many hearts have you broken today?” Jimin teased, eager to transfer the attention to the poor maknae of their group.

Jaehyun shook his head fiercely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, hyung,” he tried his best to look innocent, but the corners of his mouth were tilting upwards, betraying his real feelings.

“Aigoo! Look at my attractive dongsaengs,” Irene chimed in. She hates it when people say she has a motherly vibe, but when she says things like that, it’s hard for Jimin not to be reminded of his own doting mother.

At that moment, Onew entered the classroom, making Jimin and the others face the front of the room immediately. The room was immediately quiet.

He settled his things on his desk before speaking. “Leaders, stand on your feet.”

The leaders—Irene and Namjoon—stood up. “Are all your members present today?” Onew asked, not even looking up from his papers.

“Bear, Suga, and Seagull are here, sir.” Namjoon reported, calling them by their aliases.

“Yeol, Jimin, and Jaehyun are also here, sir.” Irene calmly said after him.

Onew glanced at everyone, confirming the leaders’ reports. Finally, he nodded once in satisfaction. “The principal assigned us with two missions catered specifically for each team,” Namjoon and Irene stepped forward to accept the folders Onew were handing to them. “Both missions are code red, so I expect all of you to be in your best shape. Response?”

“Yes, sir.” They all replied in unison. The energy was finally starting to rise in the room. Everyone was eager to learn more about these new missions, but more importantly, they can’t wait to be dismissed early from class. 

Jimin was never excited about these missions. He felt that there was something inherently wrong about them—technically, they were still killing people, weren’t they? Isn’t there something terribly immoral about that?

“Good. You may now do as you please.” Everyone started getting up from their seats. Jimin stretched his arms as he stood up, relieved to finally be able to leave the uncomfortable classroom.

“Seagull, Bear, a word,” Onew called Seulgi and Jungkook over by their aliases. Jimin resisted the urge to look at Seulgi as she and Jungkook went to Onew. 

It was no secret that those two had the most destructive Alices in the academy. When Jimin entered the academy about six years ago, when he sometimes saw Seulgi in the class room and in the hallways, he had always doubted whether she really had the Pain Infliction Alice*. A few years back, though, he had seen her in action in one of her missions, and that’s when all doubts were erased from his mind. And, he thought she looked extremely badass when she used her Alice.

As for Jungkook’s Alice… well, even he hasn’t seen it yet. Jungkook really doesn’t like to talk about it and only very few have seen it, those few people including Seulgi—and there was no way Jimin would talk to Seulgi under normal circumstances. His Alice has always been under wraps, but it couldn’t be that bad, can it?

“Yah, Jimin-ah, let’s go,” Yoongi called out to him from the entrance of the room. 

Jimin spared a glance at Seulgi. Her lips formed a straight line and it didn’t seem like she was pleased with what Onew had said to them. 

He rubbed his nose to hide his growing smile. Just observing her brings the most idiotic smile on his face. “I’m coming, hyung!” He sped past the three, who seemed like they were still intently discussing something, and exited the room.

Once outside, he spotted Yoongi already walking away. “Wait for me, hyung!” Jimin called out.

When Jimin finally reached him, he asked, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I… Forgot to feed the ducks this morning,” Yoongi mumbled. His eyebrows were scrunched up together in obvious worry.

Jimin couldn’t help but smile at his hyung. “I’m sure the robot nannies feed the ducks, hyung.” 

So, Yoongi was leading them towards Saint Park. It was a quaint place probably a block away from their dormitory. Jimin thought it was the perfect place for Yoongi; students barely went there because it’s usually overshadowed by the much bigger and grander Rabbit Park right in front of the dormitory, and since Yoongi doesn’t like people very much, he’s usually there, just feeding the ducks.

“Even robots have glitches sometimes, Jimin-ah,” Yoongi put his hands in his pockets.

Jimin ran a hand through his orange red hair. “They’re ducks, hyung. I bet they know where to get food without you hand feeding them every single day.” He chuckled. People always thought Yoongi didn’t care much about anything, but Jimin thought it was actually the opposite: Yoongi cared a lot, he’s just not very good at showing it.

Soon, they pass by the dormitory. The smell of greasy food wafted from its windows, making Jimin’s stomach grumble in hunger. “Maybe you should feed me those bread crumbs instead, hyung.” He joked.

Yoongi let out a small laugh. “If Hoseok was here, he would have called you Duck Jimin. Get it? Because you’re Park Jimin. God, I would have slapped him.” 

Jimin could only laugh at him. “Why are you laughing? Ani, it’s not even funny.” Yoongi shook his head in contempt.

“The fact that that thought entered your mind in the first place is what makes it funny, hyung!” Jimin clutched his stomach as he laughed some more.

Yoongi made a mocking face to him but said nothing. 

Finally, they reached Saint Park. Yoongi immediately went to the waddling ducks by the pond while Jimin lagged from behind. The park was such a simple beauty but Jimin always felt enamoured by it. He always believed that the most beautiful things in life can be found in the most unexpected and simplest situations, much like this unassuming park.

Jimin sat down on one of the wooden benches as Yoongi went on to play with his beloved ducks. He looked up to the dusking sky which painted the world in various hues of violet, pink, and orange. The wind softly rustled as only the quacks of the small ducks can be heard.

He closed his eyes with a smile on his face. Jimin always secretly despised the academy for its strict guidelines and ruthlessness towards its students, but in times like this, he thought—maybe this academy has some good points, after all.

“Yah, Jimin-ah.” Yoongi called out to him. 

Jimin slowly opened his eyes to see Yoongi in front of him, cradling a content-looking duck in his arms. “Namjoon hyung’s calling for the team, so I have to go.”

Jimin stretched his arms as he stood up. “It’s alright, hyung. I’ll head over to the cafeteria, I’m hungry, anyway,” He petted the duck. “Do you want us to wait for you there, hyung?”

Yoongi sighed as he regretfully let go of the duck, who immediately waddled away from them. “I’m not sure if this’ll be a long meeting—yah, aren’t you guys also going to meet?”

Jimin shrugged. “Irene noona always has the meetings in the morning.’

“Why couldn’t hyung be patient like her?” Yoongi mumbled. “Anyway, if I’m not back by six then you guys can leave without me.”

Jimin clasped his hyung’s shoulders. “Okay, hyung. Good luck!”

Yoongi patted his dongsaeng’s shoulders awkwardly. “Yah, you too. See you later.” And with that, he went off. 

Jimin watched Yoongi until he disappeared into the forest. “That hyung should make more friends,” he said to himself. Jimin may be shy in front of girls, but his hyung was just shy in front of everyone.

He shook his head in amusement. He’s sure that Yoongi will grow out of shyness someday, like how Jimin hoped he would move on from his embarrassing shyness as well. 

Right now, though, Jimin wanted nothing more than to cure his stomach of its hunger. He lightly jogged in the direction towards the dormitory, eagerly expecting the delicious food he gets because of his Special Star ranking. And, fine, he missed his friends as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pain Infliction Alice - An Alice that is much like punching the internal structure of an organism, forming bruises from the inside. Easily causes haemorrhages and internal bleeding. In extreme cases, the blood may clot so much that the host may die from blood poisoning.


	4. Jeon Jungkook

Chapter 4: _Jeon Jungkook_

* * *

 

_Kill them. Kill them all._

“Good evening, oppa!” Girls squealed as he passed them by without a second glance. Jungkook made the mistake of passing by Rabbit Park on his way back to the dormitory—right now was the time most of the students were loitering, hanging around the beautiful park when it was sundown. It was truly a beautiful sight; Jungkook just didn’t care much for it.

     _They don’t like you, not really. I mean, they don’t even know you. The_ real _you. That’s why you have to kill_ _them._

Jungkook gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more to be anything but alone tonight, but she needed to be alone, and he had to respect that. He didn’t understand why—he could have taken her mind off things, distracted her from reality. He wouldn’t have done anything weird, of course. They would have just talked, like they’ve always done. It was why the two of them got along so well; he understood her and knew what she really needed. And, somehow, she knew what he needed as well.

     _No matter. She’ll come to you, eventually._

It was weird. The devil inside him always wanted Jungkook to kill everyone he’s ever laid eyes on, except for her. That’s when he knew she was different from everyone else, that she was more than just someone who had a difficult, dangerous alice like him.

     _He_ disappears whenever she’s around.

    Jungkook doesn’t get it, either, nor does Onew, but if he could get a reprieve from his insane mind even for a little while, he’ll take it.

     _Kill them kill them kill them KILL THEM._

He walked faster, ignoring everyone else’s glances and greetings. He thought of climbing up a tree to his room instead of passing by the cafeteria to the main hallway, but his stomach was betraying him with hunger, and he was _absolutely_ not going to sleep with an empty stomach. That’ll give _him_ control for a few hours. Just the thought gave Jungkook shivers down his spine. He didn’t want to know the massacre that would happen if _he_ got full control of his body, even for just a minute.

    And, what’s worse, people will finally find out the real, honest-to-goodness, insane person that Jungkook really was. 

    He entered through the main door, immediately going to the food counter. “Good evening, Jungkook-sshi, special star ranking,” The robot dictated to him. “Here is your dinner for tonight.” It placed what seemed like a 4-course meal in a massive tray in front of him. 

     _You know, you can pulverise that piece of shit robot in one smash. Do it._

    He quietly thanked her, gracefully taking the tray in one arm. Not even missing a beat, he knew  exactly which table to go to. He knew, because at least one of his hyungs will always be at the cafeteria at any given time.

    “Yah, Jungkookie!” Jin clapped his back as he sat beside him, unloading his tray to the table. “How was the meeting?”

     _Oh, it’s your pig hyung. Wouldn’t it be interesting to cut open his stomach to reveal his bacteria-infested intestines from all the shit he’s eaten?_

_Right on time for dinner,_ Jungkook bitterly thought.

    Taehyung, who sat at his other side, started to massage his shoulders. “Hyung, don’t pressure him. Let him eat his meal first.”

     _Oh, I kinda like this one. Too bad you also have to kill him._

Jungkook began feasting on his food. “It’s okay, hyung,” he said as he ate. Jungkook loved Taehyung just a bit more than his other hyungs: aside from the smaller age gap, he just treated him like a really close friend and human being rather than the talented maknae who has to be pampered all the time. 

    Or, at least, when he does pamper him, he sure does know the perfect timing to do so.

_You call this steak? You should turn the cook into steak for this atrocity._

“Did you—did you see Irene noona today, Kookie?” Hoseok, who sat across from him, leaned from his seat. Jin gave Hoseok a suspicious look.

    Jungkook was sure everyone in the academy knew of Hoseok’s crush towards Irene, even Jin himself, but he chooses to not acknowledge it. To be fair to his always-smiling hyung, Hoseok’s always had a crush on Irene even way before Jin and her got together. What does it even matter? Jin and Irene already broke up.

    Truthfully, though, he didn’t care much for it at the moment. Jungkook just nodded at him before facing his eldest hyung. “We’re finally going head-to-head with Taeyong hyung. In two days from now, actually.”

    Jin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Damn.” Taehyung just continued to massage his shoulders in silence. They only knew _of_ Taeyong, but even then, the impact of simply saying his name was still felt.

    “Yeah,” Jungkook said, going back to his meal. “But I’m not that worried about it. I’m more worried for Seulgi noona, to be honest.” It annoyed him to five hells to think about it, but there was a time when Seulgi had someone else closer to her than Jungkook. It was Taeyong. 

    He was a former teammate of their mission group, and sometimes, he really wanted to follow what _he_ was saying for once. 

     _Just kill Taeyong hyung, so you can have Seulgi all for yourself._

    Fortunately, Taeyong thought of turning against the academy for reasons Jungkook doesn’t concern himself with. And now, they finally had to face him. He’s been waiting for this day—but he’s sure Seulgi’s dreading it immensely. Jungkook was sure his noona doesn’t like Taeyong anymore, but if he thinks about kidnapping her…

     _Oh, so_ now _you’re going to listen to me._

    “Oh, Seulgi-sshi,” Jin stroked his nonexistent beard. “You asking her to the ball?” His eyes twinkled with all the teasings he’s probably already come up in his head.

    Jungkook just continued to eat his dinner. “Hmm, probably.” 

     _Do you think she’ll say yes to a worthless piece of trash like you?_

    Annoyed with his lack of response, Jin went back to his food sullenly. “Can't you show a bit more reaction than that?”

     _Yeah, show a bit more of_ me. _Just kill him already, won’t you?_

    Jungkook looked at him weirdly. “I don’t know what you want me to say, hyung. I really am probably going to ask Seulgi noona to the ball because she’s the only girl I’m close with.”

    “Yah, is that the only reason?” Hoseok butted in. 

     _Kill him. Kill them all. Kill them kill them kill them_ _kill them KILL THEM._

    “Well,” Jungkook pretended to think about it for a second. “I also like her, so there’s that.”

     _When I get control of this body, they will finally know the real you. Aren’t you excited to be called what you truly are? An insane monster? A killing machine?_

_Because that’s what you really are, no matter what that girl says._

_SO JUST KILL THEM ALL._

_AND WHEN YOU’RE DONE, KILL YOURSELF._

Jungkook banged the table with both hands, shocking all his hyungs, as he breathed heavily.

    “Jung… Kook?” Jin started to reach out to him, but he stood up quickly. 

     _This is it. You’re finally going to free me._

Jungkook closed his eyes tightly. No, he’s not crazy. _He’s not crazy._

_Stop resisting me and just let go._

“Jungkook.” He opened his eyes to look at Taehyung’s uncharacteristically serious face. He’s never seen his hyung look so serious before. “You’re tired. I think you should go rest in your room now.”

    Taehyung stood up with him and gripped his shoulder painfully tightly before letting go. “Go.”

    Jungkook just silently looked at him before nodding. Without saying goodbye, he departed from their table, briskly walking towards the main dormitory.

    Skipping the elevators which lead to the tenth floor, where the special star-ranked students are housed, he instead sprinted up the stairs through the fire exit, knowing full well he can move faster than the elevator.

    In no time at all, he was at his floor, with barely a sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. Feeling incredibly uneasy at the unusual silence from the demon within him, he quickly swiped the card to his room, which was pitch black. He never bothered to open up the curtains. He never liked the daylight very much.

    Jungkook went straight to his bathroom and slammed the door shut. With his back to the door, he stared at his eerie reflection in the mirror.

     _Just… let… go…_

He gripped his head tightly. “Shut up!” He shouted into the air, his voice reverberating a painful echo throughout the bathroom walls.

     _You’ll never be rid of me, Jungkook. I’ll be with you until the day you die._

He collapsed to the floor, curling into a fetal position. “I’m not… crazy…” 

    He thought everyone looking at him, their eyes screaming murder at him. Even Seulgi, standing in front of the crowd, giving him a condescending look, then kicking him as if he was nothing more than a piece of rock.

    “No, anybody but you, Seulgi-yah…” 


	5. Kang Seulgi

_ "Behind every beautiful thing, there's always some kind of pain." _

Chapter 5: _Kang Seulgi_

* * *

 

_Blood._

_There was blood all over her hands. She tried to wipe them away with her clothes, but even her clothes were dripping red._

_Was it her own blood?_

_Everywhere she looked there must have been blood, because her entire vision was red. She lifted her eyes to look in front of her, but it was a hazy transition, like her eyes didn’t want to cooperate with her._

_Someone was lying down, just a few feet away from her. She wasn’t sure if she should still call the thing in front of her a person; the body was completely bloated, and even through her blood-red vision, she was somehow able to determine that the body was a dull purple._

_She tried standing up, but found her legs unable to move. Finally, she started feeling a sense of terror: there was a body in front of her, it was obviously dead, and she couldn’t move her legs. Failure of muscles only happened to her when she overexerts her Alice. Did she…_

_… She couldn't have._

_With her heart beating like a thousand drums, she made her way to the body the only way she could at that moment—she crawled. It was a struggle, and it seemed the more she crawled, the further away the body was._

_But she was determined, and the dread she was feeling was unlike any other she had ever felt before. She was terrified of finding out who was the owner of that carcass, and that terror fuelled her to keep on going._

_Finally, she had reached the corpse. It was a mangled mess; she would have puked if she could have. But none of that mattered at the moment—she just had to know_ who _that person was_. 

     _The face was barely recognisable, but she could see a bit of recognition flash in her eyes. Her eyes widened._

_Finally, she started to scream._

 

Seulgi woke up in a cold sweat. She had another nightmare—she’s been getting those a lot lately. The theme always seems to be the same: Seulgi, being completely unable to control her Alice, wreaking havoc wherever she went, and inevitably killing all those whom she loved… she blinked rapidly in an effort to forget those conjured images, although she could already barely remember the nightmare she just had.

    She looked at her surroundings, momentarily confused at the unfamiliarity. It was a massive room, with ornate decorations found all over. It’s not to be confused with Seulgi’s personal style—these all came from academy itself. If it was up to Seulgi, she’d throw everything away, even the annoying vanity directly across from her bed. 

    Yeri was sleeping beside her comfortably in the massive king-sized bed, softly snoozing away. Seulgi remembered now—she was in her bedroom, and Yeri had asked her yesterday if she could sleep over, and she did, from what she could gather.

    Seulgi didn’t really understand why Yeri always stays by her side. She wasn’t particularly friendly, even towards her circle of friends, and she’s never treated her more generously than the others. But no matter how cold Seulgi was towards her, Yeri somehow manages to put up with it all with a bright smile on her face.

    She reached out to brush a stray hair out of Yeri's face. It was barely sunrise, with the room being softly lit with the growing signs of dawn. Seulgi would love to get a few more hours of sleep, to stay inside the warm cocoon of her spacious bed, but someone else was waiting for her. That someone was also a very impatient person and was often intolerable if tested.

    Sighing, Seulgi gently kicked off the sheets and went off to her own bathroom to fix herself. After she was done and dressed up for the training, she was about to leave her room, but stopped before opening her door, remembering that there the figure who was sleeping on her bed.

    She quietly approached Yeri, who looked extremely peaceful as she slept. Seulgi wasn’t even thinking of waking her; she just watched her sleep for a couple of minutes. There was something peaceful in catching someone be completely off-guard, she realised.

    Unknowingly, Seulgi was slowly approaching her sleeping dongsaeng until she was directly by her side. Yeri was one of the very, very few, who had seen her Alice in action, but has chosen to not despise her. Instead, she had loved Seulgi even more, treating her like a favourite unnie. 

    She still hasn’t forgotten how hard it was have been isolated from everyone and have no control over her Alice—they were her worst fears come to life. 

    Seulgi knelt down and leaned closer, her lips nearing Yeri’s forehead.

     _There was blood all over her hands. She tried to wipe them away with her clothes, but even her clothes were dripping red._

Seulgi closed her eyes as she slowly stepped away. _I can’t do it,_ she miserably thought. 

    “I can’t be the unnie you want me to be, Yeri.” Seulgi whispered, before finally leaving her room to dash off into the forest.

 

 

    Deep within the Western Forest, with the sun just about to appear in the horizon, there was a medium-sized clearing. It was a clear patch that had no trees growing within its unusual symmetrical shape. The grass there was less green than those shaded by the trees; however, it was a sweet spot for the sun to make an almost ethereal appearance any time of the day.

    Seulgi had reached the place by jumping through the thick tree branches. There was such a calm silence to be found in the forest this early in the morning—birds, frogs, all the animals were still in their last hour of sleep, and so, only the gentle rustle of the leaves could be heard.

    Right in the middle of the clearing was a stump that was definitely not a natural occurrence. Jungkook and Seulgi were sparring there a few months ago, and things just got a bit too physical. Fortunately, no other harm has been done to nature ever since that fight. Both of them loved the environment too much to continue hurting it.

    Near it, though, was a figure who just stood there with his head tilted towards the sky and his eyes closed. Seulgi smiled at the sight.

    Swiftly jumping down from the tree, she made her away towards him, not bothering to hide her footsteps. Perhaps he knew that it would be her and that she would do just that, and so his eyes were still closed and his posture remained unmoving.

    She stood beside him. Inwardly, she marvelled at their growing height difference. In no time, Seulgi will probably only reach until his shoulders. For now, though, she was still up to his neck, so she didn’t feel too small. 

    He opened one of his eyes and peeked at her, before closing it again. “You’re late,” He said.

    She looked away from him and closed her eyes, breathing in the forest scent. It was truly a peaceful morning.

    “Yah,” He nudged her, and yet she chose to not respond. How could she? She didn't want to break the fragile peace she was having at that moment, for it was the only peace she's ever known.

    Regardless of how she felt, she finally opened her eyes, meeting his usual intense ones. “Are you ready?” She asked him.

    Jungkook just blinked for a few seconds before nodding. “I… Trust you, Seulgi-yah.”

    He put up his pinky in front of her, and she did the same, both linking their pinkies together. Instead of letting go, they just let their intertwined hands drop in between them. This was a thing they’ve always done whenever they needed strength from one another—and it seemed that they’d always need it whenever they had their morning sessions.

    Breathing deeply, but not breaking eye contact, Seulgi started from his hair, gently stroking it. She’s only removed one of his nullifiers once before, and it was a mistake to just suddenly remove it. She realised that doing so just angered _him_ more.

    “I’ve got you, Jungkook,” She murmured as her hand dropped to the side of his face, almost cupping his cheek. 

    This felt weirdly intimate, but there was always that line with Jungkook. She had never understood why, for she was never a fan of intimacy, but it felt right for her, so what did it matter?

    His pinky grip on her tightened as her hand neared his left ear. She could sense his jaw tightening in anticipation, but he never broke eye contact with her; it was important that he stayed focused.

    In one swift move, she removed one of his earrings. 

    His pupils immediately dilated as the entirety of his eyes turned to black. Jungkook then closed his eyes in pain, awaiting the transformation. Seulgi let go of him as she watched him transform with a mix of terror and fascination. This was never an easy thing to watch.

    Jungkook fell on all fours to the ground as his body convulsed. His body grew entirely, making him more than seven feet and bulging with muscles all over. 

    He screamed in an unnatural tone, a sound one would never hear come from this world. It was such a contrast to the sleeping world around them that it gave Seulgi immediate goosebumps. His skin became impossibly pale as his hair grew down to his waist, covering his entire face.

    When it seemed the transformation was complete, he finally stood up to face her. Jungkook was towering over her with well over seven feet, his black eyes imposing and unblinking. Finally, he smiled, showing his razor sharp teeth.

    “My lovely Seulgi, it’s been _so_ long since we’ve seen each other like this.” For whatever reason, _he_ had an accent. It was definitely a western one, but Seulgi could never pinpoint where exactly it originated from.

    She may have looked calm, but her heart was running a thousand miles per minute. _This_ was Jungkook’s infamous Alice—there was no official name for it yet, since he’s the first ever documented human being to have ever had it, but she and Onew liked to call it the _devil-channeling Alice._

The creature in front of her definitely looked like one.

    Without a doubt, this was the most terrifying Alice she’s ever encountered in her entire life. There’s nothing quite like facing the king of the pits of hell for yourself.

    However, there _was_ a way to control _him_ , and only through Seulgi—naturally, she had to use her Alice against _him_.

    She had to be really careful, though. The last time they did this, she had severely injured Jungkook that he had to stay in the hospital for two weeks. She really didn’t want to hurt him.

    Seulgi stepped away from _him_ as she let her Alice take control of her. “Oh, I see,” _He_ spoke. “You’re going to hurt me again, are you? You like that, don’t you, my dear? Hurting our little Jungkookie?”

    Her eyebrows furrowed, but she refused to get distracted. _He_ loved to play little tricks like that to mess with her, to see if _he_ could actually distract her. It didn’t matter much because even if _he_ succeeded, it wasn’t like _he_ could escape her, anyway. She would have been hot on _his_ feet, her Alice already playing with _his_ body the moment _his_ heel even attempts to turn.

     _He_ made a growling sound as her Alice started affecting his arms, flowering them with purple bruises. It reached all the way to his legs, making him drop to his knees. 

    With that small exertion of her Alice, Seulgi started sweating profusely. The immense amount of power her Alice has comes with an great price; as she continues to use it, her lifespan shortens bit by bit. Her Alice was the life-shortening kind, unlimited and with immense power, but it dealt grave damages to the user, and it will eventually kill her.

    None of that mattered to her, anyway. She was never afraid of death.

    Seulgi approached him carefully this time. When she was near enough, she kicked him hard in the stomach. “Jungkook!” She called out to him.

     _He_ laughed as blood dripped from his mouth. “You talk as if Jungkook first owned this body. Love, that is _certainly_ not the case.”

    Seulgi gritted her teeth, frustrated that her maknae hasn’t taken control yet. “Wake up!” she called out to him.

    She punched his face with a bit more effort than usual; she was sure that was going to leave an ugly bruise. Finally, he clutched his head as if in extreme pain.

    “As long as it works.” she assured herself. Many would get angry at her for damaging Jungkook’s face, she thought, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do to get him back. It seemed that physically beating him up made _his_ grip on Jungkook weaker.

    “I… Ah…” He screamed in guttural pain. Seulgi looked away; nothing about this was easy to look at.

    “S-seulgi.. Noona…” He looked up at her then, and instead of black bottomless eyes, he looked at her with his regular human-looking ones. Seulgi sighed in relief.

    Then, she attacked him.

    Foreseeing her attack, he easily dodged her as he rolled to his side.

    And they continued to spar for an hour straight, with no breaks in between—just silent exchanges of physical, Alice-less attacks.

 

 

    When both were wiped out from their break-less and intense spar, the two ended up facing each other, a couple of feet away from one another. 

    Jungkook wiped his forehead, which was still inhumanely pale, as he waited for Seulgi’s next move. She wondered how much of Jungkook was truly there, or if _he_ was pretending to be Jungkook all along. She can never be sure, if she was being frightfully honest, but there was absolutely no way of knowing. It was like she was a blind man in a dark room—useless and without hope.

    Seulgi summoned within her once more her Alice, this time focusing on his arm and legs. This caused him to drop to his knees. 

    Using her Alice once more also caused Seulgi pain, as she had overexerted her Alice for the day, but she had to use it one more time, just to be sure. There was a time when _he_ tricked her into thinking Jungkook had full control over his body, and so she approached him without guarding herself, only to be punched in the gut and disgustingly licked on the neck.

    Well, that was one way of knowing who’s control of his body.

    Quickly approaching him in his weakened state, she took his earring from her pocket and swiftly put it back on his ear. 

    Slowly, the traces of the devil left him, until it was the regular Jungkook in front of her.

    Seulgi wanted to faint in extreme relief. _Finally, it’s over,_ she shamefully thought. Control sessions with Jungkook have always been extremely physically _and_ emotionally draining for her, and it was so hard to hide her fatigue from him, but she always tries—she didn’t want him to feel burdened. With an Alice like his, Seulgi supposed he’s felt heavily burdened his entire life. She really didn’t want to add to that.

    Jungkook slowly stood up. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Seulgi-yah,” he mumbled, not quite looking at her, choosing instead to look at the ground.

    Seulgi laughed humourlessly. “I’m also sorry for many things in life, but I’ve come to realize that sorry really doesn’t fix anything at all,” He closed his eyes tightly. 

    “Just-just never give up, okay?” She hope she didn’t sound afraid. “Never let him take full control of your body ever!” He looked up at her in surprise, not expecting her outburst.

    “Can you... can you promise me one thing, noona?” He quietly asked, offering his pinky in front of her.

    Without even hearing the request, she already linked her pinky with his. Throughout all the promises they made to each other, each has always had significant meaning for both, so she knew that this was never a trivial matter for him. And she trusts Jungkook the most, and sometimes even with her life—only when he’s wearing all his nullifiers, of course. “What is it, Jungkook?”

    “If I can’t bring myself to control my body… I-if _he_ takes full control and it seems like I can’t get back to you…” He looked at her then, and it was the most frightened and vulnerable she’s ever seen him. 

    “… I’m giving you the authority to… do what you have to do.” He reluctantly finished.

    “You want me to kill you? Is that it?” Seulgi replied jokingly. He didn’t reply; he just gripped their linked hands tighter.

    Within her, however, she knew how serious his request was. This deeply worried her—did Jungkook think that _he’ll_ eventually take full control over his body?

    Was that to be his fate? That he will eventually lose himself, with Seulgi just watching as it slowly happens?

    Suddenly furious, she put her hands on his cheeks and put his face close to her. “I am _not_ going to see you lose yourself, okay, Jeon Jungkook? I’m not just going to stand here and watch you lose yourself to that _monster_. We’ll figure something out. Just please, _please,_ never give up on me, on yourself, okay?”

    He closed his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed. “It’s just so hard, Seulgi,” he whispered. She could barely hear him. “Everyday, his voice just gets stronger. I don’t know how long I can stand it. The only times I can truly just be on my own in here,” he tapped his forehead. “Is when I’m with you, but—“

    “Then just be with me all the time!” Seulgi exclaimed. “If I could have a death match with _him_ right now, I really would have. If simply being around me seems to help, then, by all means, stay by my side all the time.”

    “You don’t know what you’re asking for, noona,” He replied carefully.

    She let go of him then. “I know perfectly well what I’m asking for.” She wiped the sweat off her face with her sleeve as she looked up towards the sky.

    “Are you hungry?” She asked him suddenly. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of the big breakfast she was going to have in the cafeteria.

    He couldn’t help but chuckle. “None of my hyungs is awake yet, though, so I think—“

    She grabbed his hand and started walking towards the direction of the main dormitory. With no resistance whatsoever, he let her lead him. “That you should eat _with me_? Why, of course I’d eat with you! No need to be so shy about it, Jungkookie.”

    He laughed out loud. “If the others could see you like this, then I think they’d like you so much more, Seulgi-yah.”

    She could only roll her eyes at his statement. “Shh, let’s just eat, okay? Oh, and stay by my side as much as possible.”

    He caught up with her then, and put an arm over her shoulders as they walked along. 

    “There’s nothing I would like more, noona.”

* * *

 


	6. Kang Seulgi

Chapter 6: _Kang Seulgi_

* * *

 

_A Few Years Ago_

 

Namjoon looked like he was ready to beat someone up. “What are you two doing?” He whispered furiously to his two teammates as he looked at them from below. He was standing under a thirty-foot sycamore tree, one of the biggest in the academy. Its sturdy and thick branches did not move amidst the strong current of the wind, and, like the branches, the two figures who had climbed dangerously high up in the tree remained perfectly immobile: one was seated comfortably on a branch, while another leaned firmly against the tree.

    Seulgi and Taeyong loved to go on their own little adventures within the academy. It’s always been a source of frustration for Namjoon—he’s not even angry at Seulgi, because he knows that all these rebellious acts were Taeyong’s doing. It would also be a lie to say that Seulgi didn’t feel guilty whenever she went against their leader, but she just couldn’t seem to say no to Taeyong. They had grown up together, and although he could have asked anyone to hang out with him, he mostly went to Seulgi instead. She didn’t know why, she was afraid to ask—and so she just went with it. How could she say no to him? 

    Everyone loved Taeyong, absolutely everyone. Teachers, students, robots, and even their enemies, to some extent. It was amazing to watch how he’s always gotten what he wants, be it a physical or intangible matter. Sometimes, it drove Seulgi mad with envy. Why was she surrounded by such flawless people? It’s a question she still asks herself at night, at that moment before her mind drifts into a deep sleep.

    At that moment, however, they were supposed to be in attendance for a meeting. Seulgi wanted to go as she still feared for Namjoon’s Alice, but Taeyong had easily convinced her to stay with him. Taeyong had put up a strong face, but she knew he was incredibly tired from their mission the night before—it was actually short of a miracle how they left the warehouse, for the most part, without injuries. She supposed there was more to it than that, since he acted even more cheerfully than he usually does. She didn’t want to push him though; he’ll tell her when he’s ready, as he usually does.

    Soon enough, Namjoon found out about their rebellious act, and have decided on going to them instead, promptly ending his meeting.

    Taeyong grinned at his leader, instead climbing higher up in the tree. “You’re free to join us if you like, hyung!” He was normally a responsible person, Seulgi wanted to argue to thin air. Taeyong was even part of the famed student council. He was their year representative; he had been for two years already. It’s just that he was tired, that’s all.

    Seulgi, who was content with sitting on one of the branches, waved Jungkook over. He probably followed Namjoon even though their leader had said he would come to them on his own in his angry state. Seulgi admired that bit of fearlessness in him. For her, she needed to have someone else before she does anything remotely risky. She was a coward, and she was miserable about it.

     “Come sit with me, Kookie.” Jungkook brightened up as he immediately walked towards the tree to climb it; however, Namjoon caught him by the back of his shirt.

    “Stop influencing him to do bad things, Seulgi—no, actually, Taeyong should stop influencing you in the first place!” Namjoon shouted frustratedly. Taeyong gave up on climbing higher and instead sat beside Seulgi. “What, exactly, are we doing here that’s bad, hyung? We’re just sitting on a tree.”

    “Oppa… I’m sorry I missed your meeting—“ Seulgi started to say, but then Taeyong nudged her hard before giving her a glare. 

    “—but we were just having a little bit of fun after the mission we had last night. We deserve a break, don’t we, hyung? I mean, Seulgi-yah and I worked the most out of everyone in the team.” Taeyong finished for her. Seulgi could only roll her eyes at him. 

    And she wondered where her favourite maknae got his behaviour from. _Taeyong sure loves setting an example_ , Seulgi thought.

    Namjoon sighed. “I’m very aware of that, Taeyong, and I appreciate all the hard work you and Seulgi had done last night, but this meeting was important—“

    “Hyung, please. Just give us today to rest, and we’ll follow your every command.” Taeyong gave their leader his most trustworthy smile. 

    While he was speaking, though, Seulgi had been subtly giving signals to Jungkook to climb the tree with them. In one quick move, Jungkook freed himself from Namjoon’s grip and practically ran  vertically upwards of the tree to where they are.

    “Wow, our Kookie’s so athletic!” Seulgi exclaimed in a proud manner as Jungkook went on to lie down beside her, putting his head on her lap.

    “And he’s apparently also cheeky,” Taeyong chuckled. Seulgi lightly hit both their heads in annoyance. Jungkook just looked happy, even after her hit.

    “Hey, why'd you also hit me?” Taeyong asked. She just shrugged in response. She didn’t feel like she had to respond to that.

    He remained quiet for a few seconds before nodding his head. “Fair enough.” he mumbled. She had to put up with him basically her entire life, and he was certainly a lot to take on.

    Seulgi laughed at him. “Okay, I’m sorry—I just thought I’d hit you for Namjoon oppa’s sake.”

    Taeyong looked at her weirdly before putting an arm over her shoulders. “You know, if you didn’t have your Alice, I bet you’d be the nicest person on Earth. Don’t you think so too, Jungkookie?”

    He nodded his head vigorously. “Seulgi noona’s the nicest!” Jungkook exclaimed.

    Seulgi ruffled his hair. “You would think so, huh?” She chuckled. It was probably Seulgi who took care of him the most out of everyone in the academy, so his answer didn’t surprise her at all.

    “Yep,” Jungkook smiled. “And noona’s the only person _he_ doesn’t want to kill, so I’m very glad about that.”

    “Why is it just her, I wonder?” Taeyong chuckled as he shared a worried glance with Seulgi. Only recently has Jungkook opened up with the ‘voice’ he constantly hears inside his head, telling him to commit bloody murder on every living thing possible. What worried Seulgi a bit more was that she was somehow exempt from this murder spree the voice inside Jungkook’s head wants to commit. Most would feel relieved that they weren't a target, but oh no, not Seulgi. She was somehow even more worried that _he_ didn't want to kill her.

    Why her? What was wrong with her?

    They heard a loud sigh come from the ground. It was possibly Namjoon’s twentieth sigh of the past couple of minutes, if Seulgi bothered to keep tally. “Fine, do whatever you want. You seem to do so, anyway.” And with that, he left the three and exited his way out of the forest.

    “Yah,” Seulgi’s eyebrows furrowed as she watched Taeyong play with Jungkook’s face. They were merely two years apart, but it seemed like a world of difference at the moment. Taeyong was eighteen then, just a year younger than her, and Jungkook was sixteen. Such small differences in age would make one think that roles wouldn’t be placed upon anyone, that all would act like same-age friends, but it was curiously not the case for them.

    Jungkook, although at his prime adolescent age, was an obedient teenager. He hung around Seulgi all the time and teased her, sure, but he’s always had a mischievous side to him that he shows only to people he’s truly close with. Mostly, though, he was just a very nice dongsaeng.

    For some odd reason, Taeyong’s aura seemed different. He was a year younger than her, but it felt like he was definitely older, even older than Namjoon sometimes, although admittedly today was not one of those days. It just seems natural for him to take control of things, like teaching Jungkook things Seulgi wouldn’t be able to teach him, mentoring their other teammates, and even being the most vocal when it comes to meetings. Truly, Taeyong was at a different level.

    Seulgi was just… little old her, with the dangerous Alice she still can’t fully control, with the most bloodied hands in the academy. 

_Don’t think about yourself and what you’ve done_ , she thought. _Just don’t._

    “What?” She snapped back into reality when she found Taeyong was staring at her strangely. Seulgi looked at her lap to make him sit up when she realised she was too late—he was already asleep. Indeed, he was a cheeky boy.

    Taeyong chuckled. “What do you mean, ‘what’? You were the one who wanted my attention, remember?”

    Quickly realising that she had zoned out and then remembering the reason why in the first place, Seulgi momentarily closed her eyes. “Never mind, I forgot what I wanted to say, I guess.”

    They were quiet for a few minutes. The leaves of the sycamore tree gently rustled as they left various patterns from their shade to the forest floor. Seulgi could Jungkook’s soft breathing as he slept. For the moment, everything around her was peaceful.

    Of course, until Taeyong decided to ruin it. “Seul,” He called her attention. A bit disappointed that he ruined the quiet, she opened her eyes and met his unusually serious ones. 

    “What is it?” She nervously asked. She hated it when Taeyong was serious; he only ever gave her this look when he knows she won’t like what he’s about to say.

    “Aren’t you sick of it? Of this?”

    “Of what?” She asked, confused.

    He looked everywhere. “At all of this. _The academy,_ Seulgi-yah. Aren’t you tired of the way they’ve been treating us, treating _you_ , all this time?” There was an edge to his tone, like he’s finally able to voice those thoughts of his after so long.

    Seulgi didn’t know what to say. Was she? Maybe she was, but this life was all she’s ever known. She had no other reference point with which to compare her life to, not really. “Taeyong-ah,” quietly said Seulgi, as to not wake Jungkook up. “Where… where did you even—there’s just no point in asking, and you know it.” She sighed.

    Maybe that was what truly differed the two from each other; Taeyong was a passionate believer. When he believed in something, he really did, with all his being. Seulgi has just always felt dead inside.

    “Listen to me,” he whispered. “The academy treats us like a bunch of killing machines, you most of all, Seul. One day we’ll have so much blood in our hands they’ll probably be stained red permanently,” He leaned in closer. “Can you imagine that day? _When killing will be the only thing we’ll know?_ We’re just a bunch of kids, Kang Seulgi. We’re not supposed to be doing any of this at all.”

    “They treat us as such _because that’s what we are_ ,” she fiercely whispered back. “We are killing machines, Tae. I can inflict pain on a living thing however I wish, you could manipulate people with just your eyes, and Kookie…” she let out a shaky breath. “… We were born murderers, okay? The academy just puts us to good use with all the training and missions, that’s all. We wouldn’t have been able to control ourselves otherwise.”

    As if he was never asleep, Jungkook suddenly spoke. “I don’t think we are, noona.”

    “What? You heard everything?” Seulgi, horrified, put her hands to cover her mouth. She always avoided talking too negatively when Jungkook was around. He already held her in such an impossible light, and was most likely the only one ever in her life to do so, why would she screw that up?

    But in that moment, she probably already has. “We weren’t born murderers…” He gave her a gentle smile. “… Well, not you, at least. Taeyong hyung is right, the academy made us become this way. I bet you can’t even count the amount of people you’ve killed already, noona.”

    “Listen to me, both of you,” Taeyong had an urgency to his voice Seulgi’s never heard of before, and this somehow unsettled her. “No one’s going to do something about this, but if I don’t do something about it, I’ll go crazy. I won’t wait for the day I see you lose all that light from your eyes,” he looked at Seulgi. “Or that innocence from your soul,” he shifted his gaze towards Jungkook. “However cheesy that sounds."

    “What are you trying to say, Taeyong-ah?” Seulgi was almost too afraid to ask. He looked at her then, his black eyes searing straight through her own, like he his passion was so hard to contain that it was spilling over.

    “I’m going to destroy the academy.”

* * *

 

 


	7. Park Jimin

_“I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.”_

_\- Margaret Atwood_

 

Chapter 7: _Park Jimin_

 

* * *

 

    “This is going to be a big one, boys.” Irene spoke to the team as she handed out pieces of paper to each of them.

    It was eight in the morning and all of them were excused from their classes for an entire week, and it was obvious from their yawns and drooping eyes that they took advantage of their free time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Irene, however, looked alert and ready, as she always did. 

    Jimin didn’t hate that he had to wake up early in the morning as he has always been a morning person, but he didn’t mind not having the important debriefing meetings placed in the afternoon instead, either.

    Chanyeol squinted his eyes as he read the distributed paper through his still-blurry eyes. “Nothing can be bigger than encountering Taeyong, so I’m not—“

    “Hyung. Read ’til the very end of the page.” Jimin sighed. He did not enjoy fighting against Taeyong at all. There were just too many complicated feelings within him that come out when he faces Taeyong that he doesn’t have to worry about when facing other opponents, and it was most definitely because Taeyong used to be a student in their academy. In fact, Taeyong wasn’t just a regular student of the academy, he was part of the dangerous ability class. He was supposed to be part of the family.

    But in the end, he betrayed them all.

    And, to add salt to the wound, Jimin has always felt a bit jealous with how close Taeyong and Seulgi always were. When alone, the two seemed aloof and definitely ice-like, as if nothing in the world could affect them and it was true. But, together, and he hated to admit this—they’ve always seemed like a perfect match. 

    He always thought of them as ice and ice, as an entire being that was forced to be made into two; that’s what they were. And because of that, Jimin has always secretly disliked Taeyong. It was definitely not a good thing, either: it was hard to keep their battles impersonal and objective whenever he had to face him.

    “Oh, great. So, it _is_ him again. Why can’t he just leave us alone?” Chanyeol muttered.

    Mark glanced worriedly at their leader. “Uh, noona… what is this paper saying, exactly?”

    Curious that he may have missed something, Jimin checked the paper containing the mission details again as he read the text out loud. “Mission’s code red, team A will be dealing with Taeyong, while team B will… _Hold on_. Did I read that right?”

    Irene had an uncharacteristically grim look that confirmed everyone’s anxious looks. “It’s not a trick, guys. Team A will be… handling Taeyong… this time, while we help them do what they’re supposed to do in the background.” Jimin immediately crumpled the paper in his hands. 

    “ _Yah_ , Irene, there’s a reason why it was always us who dealt with him!” Chanyeol stood up as he started to feel agitated.

    Jimin closed his eyes and did his best to control his anger. _What was Onew thinking_? The risk involved this time is way too high. He doesn’t see anyone gaining anything from this mission whatsoever. This was such a stupid idea.

    “I know it sounds too dangerous for everyone involved, and it is,” Irene said as she looked at the view of the academy from the rooftop of their dormitory. It was a peaceful morning, but all their hearts felt tumultuous because of the shocking news. She seemed composed, but even she was probably worried about Seulgi at the very least, Jimin thought.

    “Even Onew was against it, believe it or not. But, it was a direct order from the high school principal that team A will take on the responsibility of dealing with Taeyong, as they, apparently, should have taken in the first place.” Jimin didn’t miss the note of bitterness in her voice.

    “ _This is bullshit_ ,” Within a second, the paper Chanyeol was holding got burned to ashes. “Is it because we’ve failed to kill him after all this time? And if he thinks we can’t, then team A can?!” 

    “Statistically, just Seulgi and Jungkook’s kills already outweigh our total kills as a group.” Irene nonchalantly said as she used her wind alice to sweep away the mess Chanyeol made with their mission paper. Like discussing the number of kills was a simple matter, that those they’ve killed weren't even worth giving a second thought about: this was the side of the academy he’s always known and he truly hated it at the moment.

    “Noona, that isn’t the point at all,” Jimin started to speak up. He sounded deliberately calm, which was so very much unlike him that even Chanyeol stopped seething for a second to listen to what he had to say. 

    “Team A is the most dangerous group we have here in this academy. Their skills outmatch ours without a doubt, but because of that, they’ve been isolated from everyone ever since they were admitted here. Aside from us, they only have themselves—literally. Their group used to be very close because of that, but look at them now. Most of them don’t even talk to each other, and it was all because of Taeyong’s betrayal. How can anything good come out of their confrontation _at all_? Tell me, please, because I’d love to know.” Jimin glared at them all because he was just so angry at everything at the moment.

    “Jimin-ah… there’s nothing we can do.” Irene sounded helpless. She herself didn’t want this very thing to happen either, which is why she never complained when they had to deal directly with Taeyong all this time even when she knew her team was no match for him.

    But what could any of them have done? They were just robots, trained to kill by the command of the academy. “I’ll give you guys time to prepare for our training later so I’m giving the morning off,” Irene sighed. It sounded like she needed it more than they did, but Jimin didn’t dare say it out loud. “Don’t burn anything else, Chanyeol.”

    Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Mark, eat breakfast with me.” He basically dragged their youngest out of his sitting position on the floor. “Yah, you too, Jimin-ah.”

    Jimin’s hands were clasped tightly together at his back all this time as he struggled to maintain his composure. “I’ll follow in a bit, hyung. I think I’ll stay here for a while.”

    Chanyeol shrugged as he and Mark opened the door leading to the stairs. Irene was about to go in with them, but before closing the door, she looked at Jimin one last time. “Don’t forget to get something to eat, Jimin-ah.” With that, she closed the door behind her.

    Jimin went to the edge of the rooftop and sat on the very edge. The dormitory was ten stories long and if one fell from the rooftop, he suspected that person would die, but he wasn’t too worried about it. He didn’t have the most dangerous Alice, but he did have an excellent control of his balance.

    The view from the rooftop was truly spectacular and he was immediately thankful for that because by now he had rapidly calmed down. The lush Northern and Western forests, the numerous parks found along the academy, and the bustling Central Town were all visible to his current bird’s eye view.

    It was such a peaceful sight, but he felt anything but at ease. Taeyong was such a formidable opponent when it was just their team who was against him, but Jimin suspected that he was even going easy on them. What would he do if he was finally up against those who are at par with his skills? What would he feel?

    Most of all, he was anxious for Seulgi. What would happen to her? Would she be able to kill him? Or would he kill her? Jimin immediately dismissed that thought. Even if Taeyong got close enough to kill her, he doubted that Jungkook would just stand by and watch. What thoughts are running through her head now, then, when she found out she has to kill her former teammate and best friend? All these questions with no answers were starting to hurt his head.

    Then, someone opened the door leading to the rooftop. “Oh, someone’s here— _Jimin hyung_!”

    Jimin tried his best to compose his face before facing the familiar voice. “Jungkook-ah, I missed you last night—oh, Seulgi-sshi.” To his evident surprise, Seulgi was standing next to Jungkook, while both of them sported purple and yellow bruises on various parts of their body. He already knew what that meant without asking: the two had gone on one of their insane morning practices again, as usual.

    “What are you doing here all by yourself, hyung?” Jungkook approached him as Seulgi lagged from behind. Jimin jumped away from the edge as he patted Jungkook’s head by way of greeting.

    He stopped himself from staring at Seulgi’s face as he focused on Jungkook. “We just had our meeting here a few minutes ago.”

    “Oh, really?” Jungkook smiled as he also leaned against the edge. “What do you think about the new assignments, then?”

    Seulgi, who was looking at the view and, Jimin had thought, was tuning them out, leaned back to look at him as she waited for his answer.

    Jimin couldn’t help himself as he stared at her feline eyes, so seemingly cold and unfeeling. “What do _you_ feel about it?”

    Shocked that he suddenly addressed her, Seulgi’s eyes widened before slanting into a piercing glare. “Nothing. I feel nothing at all.” She said monotonously. Somehow, Jimin sincerely doubted she meant that. He had secretly observed her for many years; of all people, he would know. 

    “What about you, Jungkook-ah?” He also knew that when she didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t, so he wasn’t going to force her.Jungkook stretched his muscled arms towards the sky while holding an easy smile. “I’m not worried at all. When I see him, I’m going to kill him.”

    It was almost imperceptible, barely even noticeable, but Jimin’s careful eyes saw it: Seulgi flinched. However, she kept her gaze cool and aloof. 

    Jimin wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. 

    “Aish!” Jungkook clutched his head tightly all of a sudden in apparent pain. “Jungkook? What is it?” Seulgi suddenly sounded alert and alive in contrast to her bleak appearance awhile ago. Jimin couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as she clutched both his shoulders in worry even when he was towering over her small stature.

    “It’s just Namjoon hyung. I think he’s testing out his Alice when amplified and it just so happened his first target was me,” Seulgi audibly sighed in relief as Jungkook patted her head in comfort.

    Jimin’s heart clenched. He didn’t want to see anymore of this open display of affection between the two. He suddenly remembered that Chanyeol and the others were waiting for him in the cafeteria in the lobby. “I’m gonna go—“

    “ _Arasseo_ , _arasseo_! I apologize. Yes, you’re my hyung. I should speak formally to you. Yeah, I got it.” Jungkook looked helplessly at Seulgi as he continued to talk into thin air.

    She rolled her eyes. “He wants to use you as his guinea pig again, I’m assuming?”

    “I’m sorry, Seulgi-yah,” He scratched his head. “But I’ll have to leave you alone with Jimin hyung for a while.”

    “ _Yah_ , what are you talking about?” Seulgi sounded annoyed, and that hurt Jimin for some reason. “We already talked about this. I’m coming with you.”

    “ _No_!” Jungkook stepped backwards from her. “I won’t take too long. Namjoon hyung says it has to just be me, so you can’t come with. Sorry, noona—I’ll be back soon!” And with that, he dashed off towards the door and exited the rooftop.

    “That brat,” Seulgi glared at the door. 

    Jimin leaned against the edge as he looked at her amusingly. He wanted to tease her, and he was going to, but he suddenly blushed at the thought of being alone with her.

    Seulgi crossed her arms as she faced him. “Jimin-ah.” She called out to him.

    Surprised, and suddenly very shy, he looked at her questioningly, but not quite meeting her eyes. “W-what is it?”

    Sensing the change in atmosphere, she also started feeling uneasy and less hostile. She let her arms loose as she walked towards the edge, facing the academy. “I’ve never asked Irene about this, and I don’t know why, either… but I never did. So, I’ll ask you instead,” She took a deep, shaky breath. “How did you deal with him all this time?”

    “Who? Jungkook-ie?” Jimin tilted his head curiously.

    “ _Ani_ …” She looked towards the sky, before meeting his gaze head on. It was one of the things he loved about her; when she was sure, she never faltered. He was almost definitely sure she didn’t know how headstrong she can be, but oh, how he knew. “… I’m talking about Taeyong-ah.”

    His eyebrows furrowed, but he kept his voice neutral. “I thought you didn't care about him.”

    She approached him suddenly but stopped short a foot away. Nonetheless, it made Jimin’s heart pound like crazy. “I only said that for Jungkook’s sake. I don’t think he’d like it if he knew I still thought of Taeyong.”

    Ignoring the many conflicting feelings his heart was feeling at the moment, he openly faced her. “What do you mean by that?”

    It was rare for Seulgi to open up like this to him, as they never even had the chance to speak to each other in the first place, let alone speak in a private setting. He wasn’t entirely sure why she was confiding in him, but he was grateful for this moment, even thought he was sure it’ll only be a fleeting moment of vulnerability for her. 

    “I’m sure you know what I mean,” Seulgi said carefully. 

    “Actually, I’m not sure that I do.” Jimin replied with a frown.

    She pursed her lips before replying. “Let’s just say his Alice won’t be so forgiving and easy to control if he gets very agitated.”

    Jimin rested both his arms at the edge as he rested his chin on top of his intertwined hands. He couldn’t quite imagine what Seulgi meant with what she said. How can an Alice, an inanimate ability, be unforgiving and hard to control?

    He guessed she was just speaking in riddles, although he never expected her to be the type to do so. “I was never close with Taeyong,” he mused. “But I think I still had a difficult time whenever we had to face him. It was difficult not only because he was a tough opponent, but also because—wasn’t he the best out of all of us? If anyone was going to turn out _good_ from this academy, shouldn’t it have been him? But, why? Why did he turn his back on all of us? I don’t get it.”

    “The Taeyong I remembered was a… complicated person. It was hard to figure out whether the things he said, the appearance he had, if any of those were ever part of the real him,” Jimin looked at her then, as her gaze was lost somewhere towards the forests. It was obvious, however, that her thoughts were elsewhere.

    It was a bright morning, and the sunlight hit both of them directly. She looked ethereal. _Like an angel_ , Jimin thought. 

    “Can you kill him?” He had finally asked her the question he longed to know the answer for.

    She returned his gaze with an unexpected fragility that left him speechless. 

    “I… can’t. I can’t look at the boy I grew up with all these years and murder him even though I know I physically can. It’s too much... too cruel, even for me. You know what the scariest part is?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

    “Taeyong-ah knows I can’t hurt him. I know that he knows, so I don’t think he’s be very much worried about this assignment change.” Seulgi let out a shaky sigh as she put her head down. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of this. I’m sorry, Jimin-ah.”

    He resisted the rather sudden strong urge to touch her. “Seulgi… Thank you for sharing your worries with me. Really, I don’t mind at all,” She looked up at him, surprised with his sincere words. “I can’t imagine all the things you must have gone through, even though I also have missions… but they’re never up to your level. Anyway, if you ever feel like having a fresh ear to lay out all your worries on, I-I’m here for you.” He blushed at his corny words. Did she think they were too strange? Jimin wished he hadn’t said anything at all.

    Seulgi smiled, a beautiful yet fleeting one. “You’re a strange one, Jimin. It’s kind of sad that we rarely talk even though we’re _chingus_ *, isn’t it?”

    Jimin scratched his head. If only she knew how frustrated he was about that fact. “This is nice, though, right? I don’t know, I guess it was also hard to approach you before…” He stopped talking.

    Her face darkened for a second before chuckling. “Before Taeyong left, is that what you wanted to say? Yeah, I guess it must have been. Sometimes he was just as clingy as Jungkook was.”

    It was annoyingly true; but Taeyong was great at keeping it subtle, whereas Jungkook just straight up stuck beside Seulgi’s side all the time. “I guess you have time for other people now, huh?” Glad that both of them had loosened up, Jimin started teasing her.

    “Huh, I guess I do.” She chuckled again, but to Jimin’s sensitive ears, it sounded a bit different from before. Perhaps she never realised that until he had pointed it out. 

    “Yah, want to go to Central Town?”

    He wanted to smack his head on the wall, or just straight up jump from the rooftop right then and there. Go to Central Town? _Really, Jimin-ah_? Is that the best you can do? Where did that even come from? Oh, god, what if she says no? _Okay, I have to take it back now while there’s still time._

    “I’m just k—“  
    “Right now? Sure!” Her face brightened up immediately, causing him to snap his mouth shut. 

    He couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you so excited suddenly?”

    “ _Yah_ , Central Town is the best! Merchants from all over the world sell the weirdest things, things I’ve never seen before _in my life_ , the food is phenomenal, _and_ the greatest thing is that no one there knows who I am or what I’ve done.” She beamed at him as she listed off more things she loved about the bustling marketplace.

    Jimin thought it was like any other marketplace outside the academy, but he could say that since he had been to one outside before, since he entered the academy a few years after Seulgi did. He was surprised she could maintain some of that child-like innocence she has despite everything.

    “What? Why are you smiling like that?” Seulgi felt shy all of a sudden.

    “ _Ani_ , it’s nothing. Do you want to go now?” 

    She pushed herself off the edge. “Let’s go! Ah, wait—Jungkook-ah. We have to wait for him.”

    Jimin wanted to deflate, but he painstakingly kept it in. “Oh, right. He said he’d come back soon.” He didn’t dare hope that it was going to be a date between the two, but he thought for a second that it could have been possible. _Don’t get too greedy, Jimin-ah_ , he thought.

    As if he heard them, Jungkook entered through door full of boundless energy. “Noona, sorry I took so long! Namjoon hyung apparently hid all the way to the end of the Northern forest and instructed me to find him. How crazy was that?”

    Seulgi laughed. “How long did it take for you to find him?”

    He ran a hand through his hair. “Five minutes?”

    “Poor leader-nim, he probably thought he finally got the best of you,” She played with his ear as he stood beside her. “Oh, by the way, Jungkook-ie, the three of us are going to Central Town, right now!” She grinned at the thought of eating those strange fluff balls that tasted like a dream.    

    Jungkook looked at them both questioningly. “We are?”

    Jimin could only chuckle. There was no use in backing out now, even though he had a strong feeling he would feel slightly out of place when it’s just the three of them.”

    “Yeah,” An idea came to him. “Actually, I thought we should invite both teams to go! I think that would be more fun, right?”

    Immediately, there was a distasteful look on Seulgi’s face as her hands dropped to her sides. “ _Aniyo_ , I don’t think that’ll be fun at all.”

    “No, that’s a good idea! Wasn’t Namjoon hyung planning something like this, anyway?” Jungkook spoke to Seulgi, to whom she just rolled her eyes to. “Do I even have a choice on the matter? Fine, let’s call the rest of the team. Jimin-ah, we’ll meet you at the bus stop, okay? I’ll tell Irene about this since I have to go to her, anyway.”

    “Oh, okay,” He replied, but the two were already lost in their own world, as Jungkook started talking rapidly about anything and everything while Seulgi only half-listened as she innocently touched various parts of his body, mainly his hair, ears, and nose, of all things. 

    “I guess I’ll just go,” He mumbled, leaving the two behind the rooftop. He jogged down the winding stairs in a confused state: _What had he done?_

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Chingus - korean term for “friends”. It is defined as those friends who were born in the same year.
> 
>  
> 
> It's been too long! Thank you to my new subscribers, and to those who either hate me or don't care about my story anymore because I haven't updated in so long, I am truly sorry about the wait! I hope you enjoyed the chapter~


	8. Kang Seulgi

Chapter 8: _Kang Seulgi_

* * *

    Seulgi doesn’t get excited about most things in life. In fact, she can actually count the things that do with a single hand in contrast to those that just don’t. But going to Central Town? Oh, being excited is an extreme understatement.

    Central Town is a magical place in the middle of the academy, a fairytale plucked right out of what imagination is left in Seulgi’s mind. It’s essentially a marketplace that sells just about everything; from stationaries, candies (the levitating candy canes are her favorite), toys, food, and, of course, the most famous product in the entire academy: howalons 1 . Going to Central Town was the only time Seulgi appreciated her star ranking, as being the highest ranking gives her the most allowance to spend on whatever she desires, and an unlimited amount of visits with the most flexibility in terms of time.

    However, howalons meant a bit different for her. It was the treat she and Taeyong grew up eating whenever they had the money to buy them. It wasn’t that she loved it, but it was more of him being obsessed with it and her just going along for the company. Ever since he left, she couldn’t quite make herself buy a box just yet. It didn’t seem right.

    It’s been too long since she last went to Central Town, and she was actually secretly ecstatic that Jimin had mentioned going there with the entire Dangerous Ability class. She wasn’t sure what his intentions were, but she knew enough about him to not doubt him too much. 

    Jimin, she thought, was somewhat of a mystery to her. He entered the academy a few years after she did. She thought it was amazing that they had discovered him so early in his life, considering his Alice, which was shadow manipulation. After he got admitted to the academy, he was actually just part of the Special Ability class for five years before transferring to the Dangerous Ability class, so many of their classmates never truly feared him or, at least, not in the way they feared her. On the rare times when they were free from missions, Onew would require them to go back to normal classes. Since Seulgi and Jimin were both in the same year, they had all of their classes together. However, unlike her, who just clung onto Wendy because she was the non-Dangerous Alice person who wasn’t afraid of her, Jimin was pretty popular in their class. He talked with everyone, made jokes with the teachers, and he just seemed really easygoing.

    No one ever treated him differently, even though he could control all their bodies with a single movement. Why couldn’t they treat Seulgi the same way? Was she that difficult to be loved?

    Seulgi shook those thoughts away. She’s always miserable, but she won’t allow herself to dampen her mood when they’re about to go to Central Town. She wasn’t _that_ much of a masochist.

    “Where do you think the others are at?” She asked Jungkook as they took the elevator going down to the lobby. She practically dragged him before Jimin could say anything, but she wasn’t sure why she wanted to get out of there quickly. Maybe the conversation she had with Jimin was a bit more truthful than she would have liked. She revealed more of herself than she expected to, to Jimin of all people. She wondered what he thought of her now.

    “Namjoon hyung said he was going to eat breakfast with Yoongi hyung, so they’re probably at the cafeteria,” He noted. She noticed the bruise she left on his lower left cheek was already yellowing, evidence that his Alice gave him healing abilities as well. 

    She patted the bruise gently. “By the time we reach Central Town, you’ll look good as new.” Seulgi thought it was a bit unfair, actually, because the bruises she sported were still an angry purple and very much visible to the naked eye.

    The elevator made a sound as it arrived on their floor. “I bet you look better than I do,” Jungkook grinned at her bruise-filled face. “Wow, look at this clear skin! Did you put on makeup today, Seulgi-yah?” He grabbed her cheeks and pushed them together.

    She swatted his hands away as they got in the elevator. “Ha-ha. Very funny.” She rolled her eyes at his laughing face. Before the elevator could close, someone rushed inside with them.

    It was Jimin, whose face was peculiarly flustered. “Yah, didn’t you guys notice me?” He mumbled, his face still heating up.

    “What do you mean?” She asked. The elevator in their dormitory was small, so Jungkook had to maneuver a bit, ending up directly behind Seulgi. He rested his chin on top of her head, and the physical proximity of it all, coupled with Jimin’s flustered face, suddenly made Seulgi uncomfortable.

    “I was behind you two the entire time…” He replied, but not quite meeting her eyes.

    She tried to imagine what he could have seen to be so flustered like that. It was only her and Jungkook playing around, really, with him playing with her cheeks, and now he was just behind her…

    Seulgi’s face reddened. Did he think…? No, of course not—the two boys were close friends, he would know the truth. But still, did it look like she and Jungkook were acting a bit like… lovers? Is that even what it’s called? 

    She subtly moved a bit farther from Jungkook, suddenly wanting to make space between them. Jungkook didn’t bother hiding his disappointment when she moved away from him, compromising instead as he put his arm over her shoulders.

    Now this was his regular behaviour; he’s been like that to Seulgi for what seems like forever, but Seulgi felt self-conscious at that moment, and she didn’t know why. Jimin was just leaning against the wall while he played with the rings on his finger, but she felt that the skinship she was sharing with Jungkook made him feel uncomfortable.

    As if it wouldn’t come soon enough, the elevator doors finally opened. Jimin and Seulgi rushed to get out of the elevator, while Jungkook took his time walking out. 

    Seulgi watched as Jimin went ahead to get his other team members. “Huh.” She slowed in her tracks.

    “Noona?” Jungkook caught up with her, giving her a questioning glance.

    “I just realised that there were three of us before who were in the same year in the Dangerous Ability class… I wonder why I never got to hang out with Jimin all that much, though?”

    Jungkook shook his head as he laughed. “Because Taeyong would never share you with other guys. Not even me.”

    She blushed. “Yah, what are you saying?”

    “It’s true, though? It’s no secret that he liked you a lot, noona. He was basically obsessed with you.”

    She gave him a harsh glare before walking ahead. His words rung deeper to her heart than he realised, and she was still afraid of the implications of that statement. What was she to do with all that, then? Of course, she’ll do what she does best: ignore it.

    Seulgi marched on ahead towards the cafeteria, glad that they had gone during class hours. The place was widely empty, except for two tables filled with their and the other team members. She walked towards that direction, completely ignoring Jungkook’s attempts at interacting with her.

    “Seulgi-yah… I’m sorry. I should have known better than to talk about—“

    “NAMJOON OPPA!” Seulgi loudly greeted her leader, who was busy talking to Yoongi. He looked at her alarmingly, surprised that the usually quiet team member would raise her voice. 

    “What? What is it? What happened?” The members from the other team also stopped what they were doing to look at her.

    She glanced at Jimin who was talking to Mark, but was now looking at her, before quickly looking away.

    Flustered at the ruckus she made, she primly sat down instead. “I’m sorry for the noise.” She bowed her head.

    Namjoon looked at her weirdly, before exchanging looks with Yoongi. “What…”

    Jungkook, who had finally caught up, quietly sat beside her in the table. “Yah,” Yoongi looked at the two irritably. “Did you two fight again?”

    “Noona,” Jungkook faced him. “I’m sorry. I’ll buy you two packs of candy canes later, I promise!”  
    Seulgi sighed. She couldn’t quite stay angry at him for too long. “It’s fine, Jungkook.”

    “Namjoon-ah!” Irene called over from the next table. “Are you guys just about ready to go? Is Seulgi done sulking now?”

    “Yah!” Seulgi glared at Irene, who proceeded to give her a teasing smile. “Yes, Irene-sshi,” Namjoon stood up. “I think the kids are done throwing their tantrums.”

    Everyone from both tables also stood up, and all together they made their way towards the exit of the cafeteria, and on to the bus stop, which was conveniently located just beside Central Park.

    After her sudden burst of anger a while ago, Seulgi just felt deflated. She didn’t want to go to Central Town in such a spoiled mood, but she didn’t want to ruin it for everyone else, either. It was rare for them to go on trips as an entire class, so she just bottled her misery and anxiety up.

    “Seulgi-sshi,” Jimin, who was walking alongside Chanyeol in front of her, walked slower so he could match his pace with hers. 

    Surprised, and still a bit embarrassed by everything that’s happened earlier, Seulgi couldn’t quite meet him in the eye. “You don’t have to talk formally to me, Jimin-ah. We’re _chingus_ , after all _.”_

Jimin blushed as he scratched his head. His face gets red rather easily, Seulgi thought. “Sorry—Seulgi-yah, is that okay?”

    Seulgi nodded. Jungkook, who was walking at her other side, was unusually silent, so she nudged him to get his attention. “Yah, I’m not angry anymore. You can stop sulking.”

    “Okay, listen up!” Irene called everyone to attention as they reached the bus. “This is the first time we’re going as an entire class, so I would really appreciate if we do this properly. Kind of like how we execute our missions: clean and efficient,” She smiled at everyone, but her smile at that moment was the kind that intimidated Seulgi because of its assertiveness. “And so, we’re going to this in a systematic way. Right, Namjoon-ah?”

    “Right.” Namjoon nodded. 

    “Not everyone here is familiar with Central Town, so I suggest we do a buddy system,” Collective groans rose from them, and even a sigh came from Seulgi. She wanted to appreciate Central Town without having to think too much about responsibility. “Yah!” Irene glared at them all, immediately making everyone silent.

    “You get to pick your partners, anyway,” Irene stepped on board the bus. “So just remember to sit with your partners, be with them all the time, make sure they’re alive, all of that.” With that, she dragged Namjoon inside with her.

    “Oh no, poor hyung,” Jimin laughed. Seulgi looked at him at perhaps the most picture-perfect moment: the sunlight directly hit his face, which held a smile so bright she thought she wanted to smile as well. 

    She wondered who he would choose as his partner for the trip.

    “Jimin-ah!” Yoongi called him from behind them. “Partner with me.” He said nonchalantly, while Jimin just chuckled at him.

    “Alright, hyung,” Jimin suddenly looked at Seulgi, which surprised her. He seems to surprise her a lot lately. “See you there, Seulgi-yah!” He gave her a smile not unlike the one he gave to Namjoon before entering the bus with Yoongi.

    For some odd reason, she was disappointed that he had partnered up with Yoongi. However, it was such a ridiculous thought that Seulgi immediately disregarded it. He had many other friends to choose him, most of whom definitely knew him better than she ever did. Still, there was a discomfort in her chest that she didn’t understand at all.

    Jungkook silently grabbed on to the bottom of her sleeveless training top, successfully getting her attention. “Jungkookie?”

    He made an audible sigh. “So you’re not angry at me anymore.”

    “Yah! You two, get in the bus quickly!” Namjoon called them from inside the bus.

    She looked at him weirdly as they entered the bus. “I already said I wasn’t angry with you earlier.”

    “Yeah, well, once you start calling me Jungkookie again, that’s when I know you’re really not angry with me anymore.” He smiled at her, his childlike features brightening up his face.

    Seulgi took a seat near the front, because all the good spots at the back of the bus were already taken. “I didn’t even notice,” She mumbled.

    He sat beside her, officially claiming his spot as her partner. “Seulgi-yah~” She looked at him weirdly as he started doing _aegyo_ to her. She wasn’t a fan of the act whatsoever, and he knew that very well. But, as she’s probably said over a dozen times by now, he’s hardly someone anyone can resist.

    “Ugh, Jungkookie, stop,” She wanted to look annoyed with his antics, but she ended up laughing instead. 

    He rested his head on her shoulder. “I’m tired, Seulgi-yah. You went too hard on me today.”

    She patted his cheek affectionately. “Did I?” He quietly nodded. “I’m sorry.”

    The ride to Central Town would take twenty minutes from their dormitory, so they had plenty of time to take a break. While Jungkook actually fell asleep on Seulgi, she observed the scenic view of the academy as the bus passed by.

    The last time she was riding a bus on her way to Central Town was years ago, back when the team was a close-knit group. Back when Taeyong was still around. She sighed at the sudden surge of nostalgia; until now, he still haunts her thoughts.

    Although she wished the ride could have been a bit longer so Jungkook could have rested more, alas, they have arrived at their destination. She gently patted his cheek to wake him up.

    “We’re here?” Jungkook stretched as he woke up from his short nap.

    She looked outside the window excitedly. It was like they were in a theme park, and yes, Seulgi would know what a theme park looks like, since they had a mission there once. It was actually her favourite mission thus far.

    She faced the maknae of their team with a huge smile. “Didn’t you say you’ll buy me two packs of levitating candy canes?”

    He chuckled. “Want to go get some now?” He offered his hand as they both stood up from their seats. Polite as they were, they waited for everyone else to vacate the bus.

    Jungkook stepped off the bus first, and, still holding his hand, Seulgi jumped off after him. Her combat boots hit the cobblestone floor. 

    She breathed in the distinct sweet smell of howalons, the scents of the various exotic flowers that surrounded them, and even the smoke from the vehicles that entered the place. Although there were many bittersweet memories attached to this place, Seulgi still loved the familiarity of it all.

    Jungkook pulled her along. “Noona-yah, the candy canes are this way!”

    “ _Arasseo,”_ Seulgi smiled at her dongsaeng. The bus stopped them at the middle of the area, where a huge sycamore tree fenced with cow grass was placed smack-dab in the middle of all the various shops. it was the perfect place to rest because of the shade. She had half a mind to do it right after buying the candy canes.

    As they made their way towards the candy shop, Seulgi suddenly had a strange feeling that someone was staring at her. Trusting her instinct, she suddenly bent down as she pretended to tie her shoelaces. Jungkook stopped in his tracks and looked at her questioningly.

    When she finally stood up, she had a clear idea of where the stare was coming from. With no prior warning, she turned around and looked at the person straight in the eyes.

    And she gasped. 

    “Taeyong-ah?”

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1Howalon - Central Town's most popular candy. It has been described to be similar to marshmallows and cotton candy, but has a milky flavor and to be as soft as a cloud. When eating it, the consumer will feel extremely happy.
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> That's it for the 8th chapter! Please let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments, anything you'd like to say, please just comment! I love hearing just about anything from my readers. Like, you can even comment about how lit BTS' new music is, and how you still cry when you listen to Young Forever. (No? Just me?) Anyway, things are getting a bit more complicated with the ships--will it be a Seulkook, Seulmin, or a Seulyong story? Sorry, I can't tell you that. Just tune in for the next update! Cheers x


	9. Lee Taeyong

Chapter 9: _Lee Taeyong_

* * *

 

    She gasped as soon as she saw him. 

    He couldn’t help it—he smiled at her. It’s been years since he last saw that angelic face. He remembered that moment like it was merely moments ago, the night before he left this manipulative academy…

 

     _Taeyong had everything he needed in his backpack. All that’s left was for him to leave the academy once and for all._

_He didn’t even look back once as he left his room of ten years. He never once felt that it was home. Nothing about this place convinced him that it was worth it to stay._

_Maybe just one, he thought. Maybe there was at least one that almost made him stay._

_He quietly walked at the hallway, making no sound at all as he stopped on the door just a few meters away from his. He gently touched the doorknob and wondered if it was locked._

_The door clicked. “Of course it isn’t locked,” He muttered. Who would try to trespass into Seulgi’s room other than him, anyway?_

_He entered the room in predator-like silence. The structure is almost identical to his, with the main point being the minimalistic fashion of it all. Both of them never cared enough to decorate their place, not even with trash._

_Taeyong approached her sleeping form on the bed. The window was open, spilling moonlight all over the room. The moon was full—he supposed he wanted his leave to be a bit dramatic._

_“Who is it?” Seulgi hadn’t moved, but her voice echoed through his ear clearly._

_“It’s me,” He whispered._

_With slow movements, she sat up and stretched her arms. She was bathed in moonlight; he wished he could have that image of her engraved in his mind forever. “Taeyong-ah? What are you doing awake—“_

_She stopped talking when she noticed what he was wearing. “Taeyong-ah?” She sounded genuinely confused. He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt just as confused at that moment._

_“Seulgi-yah…” He dropped his backpack to the floor and approached her. “… Didn’t you say before that you would follow me wherever I go?”_

_Seulgi threw the sheets off her and stood up, in her nightgown and all. “What is this about, Taeyong-ah? You’re making me worried.” She frowned. Taeyong had never visited her room in the middle of the night before, as he was always vocal about such things._

_But tonight was different. He gave her an agonising look that he hoped would get his unsaid feelings across. “Kang Seulgi, you…”_

_“Are you okay?” Seulgi approached him without fear. It was almost enough to unwind him. Almost._

_He grabbed both her shoulders. “I love you, Kang Seulgi,” Her eyes widened at his sudden confession. “And because I do, I’m going to have to leave you.” He whispered as she realized too late what his next move was._

_“Taeyong-ah, don’t do this.” She pleaded as she tried her best to move. It was no use; Taeyong had successfully taken control over her body._

_“I’ve already made my decision years ago,” he murmured._

_Taeyong stroked her lips once before sealing it with his. “I know you’ll never forgive me for that,” he chuckled. “But I had to do it at least once before I leave.”_

_“Taeyong-ah…” Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. He’s only seen Seulgi cry once; after Onew had informed her that her grandfather, which she had accidentally used her Alice on, had passed away in a hospital because he couldn’t sustain the permanent injuries she had given him._

_This was only the second time. Taeyong was sure, so sure that her heart would be impossibly hardened after this and that she may never trust anyone again in her lifetime—and it was all because of him. “Please,” her voice broke. “Don’t leave.”_

_He kissed her once more, unable to resist the temptation of her trembling, pink lips. “Goodbye, Kang Seulgi.”_

_A tear finally escaped her eyes before they closed shut, as he rendered her unconscious._

 

    … But now wasn’t the time for nostalgic memories. He wished he had the Alice to stop time, but he had yet to obtain an Alice stone that yielded that power. He could see Seulgi was completely torn on what to do next, was she going to alert everyone that their most wanted enemy was within the academy grounds? Or will she find a way to talk to with him, _to be with him?_

    He was about to find out the answer.

    Taeyong was wearing a black cap and civilian clothes, with almost his entire physical appearance altered. Except his eyes. Of course, he kept his eyes as they were. He needed his eyes to still be his if he wanted his Alice to work in its full capacity.

    Those same eyes stared hard into Seulgi’s widened brown eyes, who still didn’t know what to do. _Oh, my dear Kang Seulgi, if this was the real mission, I would have been able to get you in under a minute,_ he sadly thought. Taeyong knew this was how she would react if she finally saw him. There was no way she would be able to think rationally, let alone _attack_ him.    

    Little did she know, however, that he was already using his Alice on her. He had commanded her through his eyes to freeze, and she did just that. She probably thought it was just immense shock. Well, she wasn’t completely wrong. He was also surprised to see her after all these years, but he was more adept at hiding it.

    She grew her hair and was thinner than he remembered. Taeyong recalled how he frequently had to force her to eat her meals, otherwise she would skip them altogether. _What have you been doing since I left?_ He harshly thought.

    What irked him the most was the former kid who stood beside her. He had definitely grown throughout the years; he was well over 180 centimeters, just a pinky taller than Taeyong himself. And the two definitely seemed friendlier than he remembered, his fists clenching as he witnessed the two holding hands earlier like they were lovers.

    “Did you already have me replaced, Seulgi-yah?” He whispered, even though he knew she couldn’t have heard him, given the distance between the two. He was sitting on a bench near the sycamore tree while many travelers walked at the path in between them. He was perfectly hidden, or so he had thought.

    Jungkook finally caught up on the situation as he whipped his head in his direction. He could see his Alice immediately flaring up, with his pupils rapidly dilating. Taeyong shifted his eyes to his former teammate, with challenge clear in his eyes.

    “Come and get us, Kookie,” He smirked at the furious boy. Already having full control over Seulgi, he made her run to the opposite direction, momentarily confusing Jungkook.

    Taeyong leisurely stood up and winked at the perplexed teenager. Snatching the Teleportation Alice stone hidden in his pocket, he burned it all with one use as he vanished into thin air.

    “Shit,” Jungkook cursed, as he immediately ran the opposite way to follow Seulgi.

 

    Taeyong landed gracefully at his intended location. The Western forest was eerily quiet, as it usually is any time of the day honestly, and he thought it was the perfect place to have a little chat with his old friend.

    Perhaps he miscalculated Seulgi’s time of arrival, as he assumed that she would arrive just a few minutes after he did. However, he was never good at math, so it actually took her a good fifteen minutes to arrive at the very end of the forest.

    She was sweating profusely and breathing hard when she finally arrived. In between her hard breaths, she was able to mutter a few words.  “How did you—“

    He jumped from the tree he was resting on and landed a few feet away from her. “You mean, how did I get here before you did?” He took an Invisibility Alice stone out from his pocket. “How else?”

    When she saw the stone, Seulgi immediately glared at him. “Now,” He stepped closer towards her. “You know there’s no use trying to get out of my control, Seulgi-yah.”

    She couldn’t even clench her fists in anger; that’s how powerful he had become. 

    “What did you think I was doing outside, throwing Alice stones across the river?” He laughed.

    “What do you want from me, Taeyong-ah?” He knew it was painful for her to look at him after all these years. Sure, he had betrayed everyone in this wretched place, but he betrayed her most of all. She had shared all her thoughts, her pain, even her secret hopes and dreams to him, not even wondering why he didn’t do the same. And then he left her.

    However, he forced her to keep her gaze to him. “Seulgi,” He finally stepped into her personal space, leaving little to no distance in between them. “Come with me.” He took her shaking hand with his and squeezed it hard.

    “We don’t have to fight. I know you still miss me terribly. I know, because I do, too,” With his free hand, he tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ears. 

    Her shaking became even worse. “Don’t do this to me, Taeyong-ah. Not again.” Her voice started to crack.

    “What am I doing to you, exactly, that the academy hasn’t already done?” He turned away from her suddenly. “That stupid high school principal’s been working you to _death,_ and for what cause? To defeat me, the anti-Alice organization? And what will that achieve?

    You don’t know what the high school principal does with the Alice stones he gets back from us, Seulgi-yah. It’s despicable, disgusting—and yet you help him? He forces those with strong Alices who clearly have a shortened life span to continuously conjure up Alice stones for his own personal gain. You’re killing yourself over a monster? Does that even make sense, Seulgi-yah?”

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tears started falling from her eyes. “But I do know that what you’re doing isn’t any better! You’re hurting your old friends, you’ve manipulated people, all for your own sake as well!” She gritted her teeth. “Don’t think you’re any different from the high school principal with what you’ve done, Taeyong-ah, because you’ve become just like him—a monster!”

    Taeyong flinched at her words. “How can you say that, Seulgi-yah? Do you know how much I’ve suffered all these years?” 

    She shook her head as best she could under his control. “We all suffer, Taeyong-ah. Don’t ever think that pain is something only you feel.”

    He wanted to whisk her away, to a place where none of them would feel such pain. He knew that she understood that statement more than anyone else he knew. “Seulgi—“

    Taeyong’s ears perked up as he heard movement coming towards them. “Damn it, I need more time,” He cursed. Jungkook had finally caught up on them, and Taeyong had yet to convince Seulgi to come with him.

    “Seulgi, you don’t belong here. You know you don’t.” He made his control over her stronger. They didn’t have time for heartwarming talks any longer.

    “I…” She closed her eyes in pain. “Stop-stop controlling me! I won’t go with you, not like this!”

    Taeyong jumped away as Jungkook arrived at the area. He was obviously furious, with his entire eyes being black and his horns in full view. “ _Taeyong,”_ He growled.

    Jungkook wasn’t in his full form just yet, but Taeyong strangely wanted to see it. “What, no more respect for your hyung?” Taeyong smirked.

    Jungkook went to Seulgi, who was still frozen in her spot. “Seulgi?” He held her shoulders as gently as he could. She just shook her head.

    “ _Stop controlling her_!” Jungkook shouted as he pounced onto him. It was easy to gain control over those who are either vulnerable or caught off-guard, but it was almost impossible for Taeyong to gain the upper hand over those who were clearly hostile against him.

    Taeyong quickly jumped away from him. “I didn’t come here to fight,” He pulled a Teleportation Alice stone from his pocket. “But I _will_ shed blood next time just for you, Kookie.” Jungkook just growled at him.

    “You still have a few more days to think about what I said, Seulgi-yah,” He finally let go of his control to her, causing her to immediately collapse to the ground. Jungkook quickly went to her side.

    “Until next time, my old friends.” He bid them a farewell as he swallowed the Alice stone.

 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It must be strange that I uploaded another chapter so quickly! I'm sorry, I just felt so motivated to continue with the story, as I'm excited to see the story finally picking up its pace. I'm so happy to see that my various readers don't just go with one ship! Haha. I'm such a hoe for these three ships, but trust me when I say she definitely won't end up with ALL three of them (or two)! That's just realistically impossible. Like this story. But hey, I like to keep things interesting.
> 
> Please do leave comments on what you think of the story so far! Any reactions, criticisms, or just general fangirling, I'm here for it! x
> 
> P.S. Last week was a good week to be an ARMY. I feel so #blessed. S/O to my fellow ARMYs, we are truly blessed to be part of this fandom. xx


	10. Jeon Jungkook

Chapter 10: _Jeon Jungkook_

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    He clutched the bag of candy canes so tight that the candies broke in half. “She’ll be alright, Jungkook-ah.” Irene eyed the bag of candies; she was more worried for the boy than for her friend. Or maybe she should be more worried for those poor candies. They certainly didn’t deserve to get heartlessly crushed like that.

    They were in the academy hospital, just right outside Seulgi’s room. He could clearly see her from where he was at, thanks to the gigantic observation windows her room came with. Thankfully, _fortunately, he_ couldn’t influence his mind as Seulgi was still relatively near to him. He was still himself.

    “How did he even get in here in the first place? _How could he have gotten past the wards?_ ” Jungkook responded with unconcealed anger. He couldn’t believe that his Seulgi was right there, on a hospital bed, _unconscious,_ because of that traitorous bastard.

    He’s going to rip off Taeyong’s head the next time he sees him.

    “I’m not sure either,” Irene’s perfectly groomed eyebrows furrowed. “The middle school principal’s wards should be strong enough to hold against even an army—or so I’ve been told.”

    He banged on the windows, surprising Irene. “He’s not going to get away with this.” He muttered under his breath. 

    “Jungkook-ah…” Irene looked at him worriedly.

    “UNNIE!” Someone screamed in a shrill tone as she approached the two. Jungkook scratched his hypersensitive ears due to the sudden annoying sound.

    “Oh, Joy! Yeri! Yah, what are you two doing here? Don’t you guys have class?” Irene scolded them as the two neared. 

    Jungkook peered a glance at the two. Joy and Yeri were in his year, but he had never bothered to talk to them, even if they were Seulgi’s friends. It wasn’t that he particularly disliked them; he just naturally hung out with boys instead of girls when not with his Dangerous Ability teammates. 

    Joy, he knew, was quite popular within their year. He knew this because his other friends wouldn’t stop talking about how they really liked her. He could see her charm; she was cute and her _aegyo_ was told to be something to witness, but she was definitely not his type. Yeri, on the other hand… he wonders if he’s even ever seen her in class before.

    Yeri glanced at him shyly as Joy spoke. “Who cares about class! Seulgi unnie’s in the hospital!” She hurried towards the windows and teared up as she saw her unnie’s unconscious form. “What happened to you, Seulgi unnie?”

    His brain started to hurt at the number of people in his proximity. Normally, this wouldn’t happen because Seulgi was near, but he thought it must be because she was unconscious that her presence isn’t quite as effective as it usually is. If this went on, he was terrified that _he_ might make a sudden appearance. 

    “It’s-it’s confidential,” Irene stammered. He looked at her sharply. What would be the ramifications of Taeyong’s breach in the academy? If someone like him had gotten in, how can they be sure that others haven’t tried do the same?

    No, if the general student body found out, there would be chaos. It was better that they didn’t know.

    “WHAT! Unnie, how can you say that! We care about her just as much as you do!” Yeri suddenly exclaimed in an outburst. Much like everyone else there, she must have been shocked by her sudden outburst, and so she ran away towards the opposite direction.

    Jungkook sighed. This was why it was difficult to have friends who weren’t from the Dangerous Ability class. There were too many secrets, too many lies they had to tell for their own good.

    “She’ll be okay, though, right, unnie?” Joy’s eyes didn’t waver from Seulgi; it was clear she was extremely worried for her. Jungkook wanted to take a video of it then show it to Seulgi as soon as she wakes up. Doesn’t she know that there are people who would be devastated if she left them? She shouldn’t even consider leaving in the first place, because leaving the academy meant leaving them… and him. 

    He was never going to let that happen. “Physically, yes, but mentally…” Irene frowned. 

    Jungkook shook his head. He needed to get away from this somber mood, but he can’t allow himself to go far enough for fear that _he_ would awaken. “I’ll get coffee. You guys want any?”

    “Grab us two, Jungkook-ah. Thanks,” She smiled at him gratefully before proceeding to comfort her crying dongsaeng.

    The harsh light from the fluorescent lights stung his eyes, but he didn’t care. All Jungkook could think about was how dangerously close the situation was earlier. If he had arrived a minute later, Taeyong would have succeeded in kidnapping Seulgi. He would have been too late.

    He saw the desolate row of vending machines neatly arranged at the other end of the hallway. As soon as he got to them, he randomly picked three cans of coffee without giving much thought to the flavour. Besides, with his tastebuds, all kinds of instant coffee tasted disgusting to him, anyway.

    “Ah,” Someone squeaked from behind him. He turned around and saw Yeri with her hands clasped tightly together, her eyes wet with tears that were dangerously close to leaking.

    “Oh,” Quickly realising the situation, he stood aside. “Sorry.”

    Yeri shook her head. “ _Ani,”_ She softly replied. “I’m not here for the coffee.”

    He looked at her questioningly. Yeri really did look like a mess at that moment. Her blonde hair  was bundled up in a messy ponytail and her eyeballs were very prominent under the harsh fluorescent lights. 

    “You really care for her, don’t you?” He couldn’t help but ask her.

    Yeri instantly blushed. “She’s my favourite person in the whole world.” She replied with childlike innocence, but she seemed flustered for reasons Jungkook couldn’t quite grasp. _Yeah, me too,_ he wanted to reply, but found that he couldn’t.

    “Are you okay?” She was getting more nervous as they talked; he hoped it wasn’t because of him. Seulgi did tell him he could be too overwhelming at times.

    Yeri visibly flinched, surprising him. “I’m sorry—“

    “It’s fine!” She shouted in a high-pitched tone. “I-I’m fine. Bye!” And without even looking at his eyes, she ran away.

    “Wha—” Before he could dwell on it even further, the vending machine behind him made a loud clank. He took the beverages he bought and took his time walking back to where the others were.

    On his way back, someone from behind clamped a hand on his shoulder. Jungkook was starting to get irked by the amount of people who seem to think it’s fine to touch someone else first before greeting them. 

    “Kookie, how is she?”

    He looked back and saw Jimin with their other friends, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Taehyung trailing closely behind him. Jungkook shook his head. “She’s fine, hyung—just unconscious.”

    Jimin went ahead, leaving him with his other hyungs. “Wow, you must be really sleepy, Kookie.” Taehyung commented, most likely because of the coffee cans Jungkook was still holding.

    “Oh, these?” He lifted them up. “The other are for Irene noona and Joy. They’re all there.”

    The four of them began to walk forward, but in a slow manner. “You know,” Yoongi observed. “I never knew that Jimin and Seulgi were close enough for him to worry about her like this.”

    “Really?” Jungkook nonchalantly juggled with the coffee cans. “I’m just glad my noona’s making more friends, to be honest.”

    Namjoon glanced at the maknae but said nothing. “Honestly, though. Is she okay?” Taehyung asked. Taehyung was another case of someone who Seulgi didn’t think cared about her because she thought just not a lot of people in general cared for her. Since he was also in the same year as her, and although he wasn’t part of the Dangerous Ability class, he had always looked out for her whenever Jungkook or Jimin weren’t there. 

    If only Seulgi knew she had more friends than she realised. “I don’t know, hyung.” He sighed. He knew she didn’t sustain any physical injuries, he was certain of that. But the mental damage one gets after being hit by Taeyong’s Alice is no joke: some have actually become mentally retarded after he controlled them too much. 

    When they arrived outside her room, he saw Joy and Irene sitting on one of the benches, with the latter comforting the former. Jimin stood just outside the window, much like where Jungkook was earlier, and had an intense look as he stared inside the room.

    “Noona, here you go.” He passed the coffee cans to Irene, who gave him a grateful smile before taking care of Joy once more.

    Jungkook joined his hyungs, who were now all standing beside Jimin. “That bastard,” Namjoon said angrily. “How could he do this to his former teammate?”

    “I’m telling you guys, Taeyong was never who he appeared to be. I doubt we ever knew him at all.” Yoongi shook his head in disappointment.

    “But still, the two of them used to be so close. They were pretty much best friends,” Taehyung frowned. “Seulgi must feel so betrayed right now.”

    Jungkook, who was silent the entire time, was actually seeping in anger. _I’m going to kill him,_ he thought. _I’m going to take his heart out right before his eyes._

Jimin suddenly jumped and entered the room, causing a momentary collective panic.”She’s awake!” Namjoon exclaimed. Almost everyone scrambled to get inside the room, no doubt to all ask her how she’s doing. 

    Jungkook stayed back; he didn’t want to show his vulnerability to them. Instead, he sat on one of the benches, clasped his hands and rested them against his forehead. He closed his eyes tightly. _Thank you._

    A hand softly landed on his shoulder. “She probably wants to see you the most right now.”

    Jungkook opened his eyes to see Yoongi looking straight ahead. “Go,” he said in his usual monotonous manner. “Assure her that you’re fine.”

    “Hyung—“ But Yoongi went ahead, leaving him surprised by his unique way of comforting.

    Jungkook took tentative steps towards the room as he prepared his mental state. _She’s fine,_ he repeated in his head. _She’s fine_.

    He took in deep breaths, then finally entered the room.

    Everyone was crowding her. Joy and Yeri were lying down on the bed with her, while Irene and Namjoon stood on a corner, quietly discussing something related to their impending mission, no doubt. 

    Jimin was by her bedside softly talking to Seulgi, as Taehyung kept making goofy faces at her on the foot of her bed. Seulgi was trying her best to listen to what Jimin was saying, but she kept on getting by distracted by Taehyung’s silly antics. Jimin, finally noticing where her attention was going, went to Taehyung and literally kicked him. 

    Seulgi chuckled, but before she could say anything, she finally noticed him hiding at the darkest corner of the room. “Jungkookie,” She called out, beckoning him over.

    Jungkook kicked himself off the wall and went to her bedside. He went to where Jimin’s spot was earlier and clutched the rails of her bed tightly enough that his fists went white.

    Seulgi noticed his hands but chose to not point it out. “I’m fine, Kookie. I really am.” She gave him a forced smile, as if that would prove her point.

    It was as if all the rage he felt at that moment came rising back up again. Seulgi may have looked fine, but he knew her better than that; the way her mouth automatically went into a frown when she wasn’t talking to anyone, the way she would stare off into space when she thinks no one is watching her… Taeyong at least got half of what he wanted.

     He had completely taken over her thoughts.

    He just shook his head in silence. He couldn’t trust himself with words at the moment. He didn’t want to hurt her any further with his potentially hurtful and rash words.

    “Yah,” She poked his clenched fists. “Say something.”

    What could he say? _Seulgi, you were almost taken away from me._

_I almost went insane when I thought I lost you._

_I’m going to bash Taeyong’s brains out of his head._

No, he shouldn’t speak—not at that moment, the very least. He shook his head once more.

    Seulgi sighed. Her delicate fingers pried his fingers off the rails as she held both his hands with hers. “I said I’ll be fine—“

    Someone slammed the door open, causing everyone to look at the intruder. It was Onew, and he looked absolutely furious.

    Everyone suddenly stood straight. Irene, who was still discussing something with Namjoon, abruptly stopped their conversation and stood upright, with her hands on her back. Even Seulgi tried her best to sit upright, but Jungkook subtly put his hand on her back to help her because he noticed she didn’t look quite well enough to do such a thing. 

    “Bear! What happened? Are you okay?” He walked towards her bedside, across Jungkook. Onew wasn’t the type to show that’s he’s concerned, but there was something about the incident today that just rattled on everyone’s nerves.

    Seulgi nodded. “I’m fine, sir. He didn’t… hurt me.”

    He shook his head. “Oh, I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not yet, at least.” Jungkook noticed her clutching the bed sheets tightly, but said nothing.

    Onew looked around the room and probably took notice of the students who weren’t part of his class. “Well,” He started to say carefully. “Once you’re well enough, I need both teams to report to me. We’re going to have an emergency meeting,” He patted her head awkwardly. “Get well soon, Bear.” With that, he exited the room as quickly as he came in.

    Seulgi discreetly slouched on her bed. “If only I had alerted everyone as soon as I saw him,” Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “I _know_ what his Alice is and how it works and I _still_ fell for it.”

    Jungkook rubbed her back. “I’m so sorry, noona. If I had been stronger, I could have—“

    “Could have what?” Namjoon interrupted them. “You could have killed him? No, let’s be real here. Taeyong didn’t go here just for a little visit, as apparent as it looks,” He shook his head angrily. “He wanted to test the waters, to see if we could actually beat him. If two our most powerful members—” he nodded towards Jungkook and Seulgi. “—couldn’t beat him, how could we expect to even hold a candle against him and his army?”

    Irene put a hand on his shoulder. “I think,” She emphasized. “We can discuss this in further detail during the meeting. For now, let’s just give Seulgi a bit of time to rest, okay?”

    Seulgi started moving from her bed. “Oh, but I’m fine now—“  
    “—I’ll watch over her.” Jungkook smiled at them, causing Seulgi to glare at him.

    “Thanks, Kookie,” Irene sighed. “Yah, can you properly rest this time?” She went over to Seulgi’s bedside and flicked her forehead. 

    Seulgi held her forehead in pain. “Was that really necessary?!”

    “Maybe if I flick your forehead enough,” Irene said angrily. “You’ll get that stupid, idiotic jerk out of your head!”

    Shocked, Seulgi didn’t know how to respond to her friend’s words. “I-Irene…” 

    Jungkook could only lower his head and grit his teeth. _Please listen to their words,_ he dimly thought.

    “Let’s go, Joy, Yeri—both of you still have class. I’ll speak to the teachers for you.” She practically dragged her two _dongsaengs_ out of Seulgi’s bed.

    “I’ll visit you again after class, unnie!” Joy shouted. 

    “Me too! And I’ll bring along Wendy unnie as well!” Yeri exclaimed with her, as both waved frantically at her ’til Irene slammed the door behind them.

    Seulgi chuckled at them. “They’re really too cute sometimes, aren’t they?”

    Not realizing she was speaking to him, Seulgi nudged Jungkook. “What? Oh, uh, yeah,” He responded distractingly. He hadn’t given mind to it earlier, but his head has been steadily throbbing since their encounter with Taeyong. The pain was starting to intensify, but he just did his best to ignore it.

    “Okay, kids,” Namjoon called out to Jimin and Taehyung. “It’s time to give Seulgi some rest. I’m sure she’s tired from all the ruckus you guys made awhile ago.”

    Taehyung rested his chin at the end of her bed. “Yah, Kang Seulgi,” he called out to her. “I’m not afraid of Jimin-ah, Namjoon hyung, not even Kookie.

    I’m not afraid of you, either. _Arasseo_?”

    Jimin sighed. “There he goes again, saying whatever he wants,” He hit Taehyung’s head playfully. “Get better soon, okay, Seulgi-yah?” Jimin smiled at her, then followed suit with everyone else as they left the room.

    “Yah, you go as well,” Seulgi said to Jungkook, who was now subtly cradling his head. The pain of the headache had exponentially increased over the last few minutes to the point that it was now a full-on migraine. However, Jungkook didn’t want to worry Seulgi, as she was the one who was hospitalised and not him, so he gritted his teeth and kept the pain inside. “I’ll be fine, honestly.”

    He closed his eyes shut. The pain was becoming too much to handle. If this kept on any longer, _he_ might make an appearance when Jungkook was at his weakest.

    “Kookie?” Seulgi cupped his face as he huddled over the bed. “What’s going on? Is it _him_?”

    He shook his head. “Something’s messing with my brain, I just… I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

    The throbbing became so apparent that even Seulgi could feel it as she held his face. “Yah, what is this—Jungkook!” 

    She screamed for help, but the only thing Jungkook could register was the sweet embrace of darkness as it gradually enveloped his vision. 

     _Oh dear, what have you gotten yourself into, little Jungkookie?_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: To my new subscribers, hello and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! And to my old ones, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in over a week! I've had a bit of a block plus a technical issue, but all has eventualy been well because I've finally finished this week's chapter. Anyway. comments are always appreciated and as a sidenote, if any of you could recommend a really good BTSVELVET story that would really make my day! For now I'll recommend one that I think is BLOODY amazing: The Ugly Duckling Club by cupcake_gongju (AFF). You're welcome x


	11. Park Jimin

Chapter 11: _Park Jimin_

* * *

 

“You can’t possibly think to push the mission through after what happened!”

    “Sir, with all due respect, he beat Jungkook _and_ Seulgi—“

    “—We’re just going to die if we fight him now!”

    Complaints arose from both teams, the most vocal ones being Irene and Namjoon. Jimin supposed those two felt a separate kind of responsibility, particularly towards Seulgi who was still resting in the hospital. Weirdly enough, Jimin could understand what the two felt. 

    Onew had immediately called for the meeting after visiting Seulgi in the hospital earlier, and everyone except Seulgi and Jungkook were present. The atmosphere at that moment was tense, with each member on their toes with nervousness. Jimin himself was on edge; he paced around the room as the others argued.

     _Seulgi-yah._ Jimin frowned as he remembered what she went through just this morning. _And to think that she was so excited to visit Central Town,_ he thought. Jimin would love it if whoever was controlling the universe could give Seulgi a break. Hasn’t she been through enough already?

     _What must she be feeling right now,_ he worried. She probably felt deeply confused and hurt—Jimin didn’t think Taeyong had ever used his Alice on Seulgi before, at least not with ill intent. How could Taeyong even think of using his Alice like that on his former comrade? Not even just a comrade, but a close friend? Was he ever the person they thought he was, if he could turn his back on them all just like that?

    Jimin didn’t like the thought of hurting people, not at all, but he _really_ wanted to do some damage on Taeyong’s face. He didn’t think it was fair either to be good-looking while being the bad guy; that is _precisely_ why people always underestimate him at first. It was a good thing Jimin never fell for his lies or his appearance.

    “If it was up to _me,_ ” Onew emphasized, cutting everyone’s words. “The switch wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

    “Why even switch in the first place, sir?” Irene asked as she uncharacteristically lost her cool in front of their Dangerous Ability professor. The others looked up at her; it was rare for their leader to talk back to Onew. 

    Chanyeol exchanged a glance with Jimin: _Is she okay?_ He mouthed. Jimin just pursed his lips in response.

    He shook his head in frustration. “The high school principal seems to think we’ll yield better results if the stronger team handles Taeyong.”

    “And now? What about now?” Irene replied. She was frightening when she took a stand against something; it was a characteristic Jimin had always admired yet feared about her.

    “He still wants to push through, unfortunately. We can’t afford to lose time—“

    “—I’m sorry to interrupt you, sir,” Namjoon cut in. “But, with all due respect, we’re going to get ourselves killed or kidnapped if we continue on with the mission.”

    Jimin rubbed his arms which were starting to get riddled with goosebumps. The weather inside the academy has always been strange, with the weather having a soul of its own, but today was peculiarly erratic. Earlier, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was well over twenty degrees, but now clouds riddled the sky, bringing along with it humidity and a depressing 10 degree-drop in temperature.

    “That’s what I keep telling him!” Onew slammed his hands on the table. “What’s the point of making you kids do the mission if none of you will survive in the end?” There was silence in the room. Again, all Jimin could think of was: _What are we fighting for?_

    Jimin entwined his hands, clasping them tightly. Onew was a good professor and an even better mission leader, but they all knew he was powerless against the whims of the high school principal.

    He’s never met the high school principal himself. Apparently, it’s an honour reserved for those with the most powerful Alices, like Jungkook or maybe Namjoon. Jimin remembered a time when he asked how the principal was like to Jungkook, to which he only responded with an ominous, “Hyung, I sincerely hope you never get the chance to meet him. He’s no joke.”

    How could someone have so much power, so much strength, that even his fearless _dongsaeng_ would say such words? Jimin wanted to know and didn’t.

    “Are you saying,” Namjoon replied quietly. “That we’re still pushing through with the mission even with Seulgi clearly not being well enough to take on Taeyong?”

    Onew sighed. “I’ll see if I can have the mission delayed. That’s the best I can do for now.”

    “Might as well prepare the letters you’ll send to our families,” Irene coldly said as she dusted the nonexistent dirt off her uniform skirt. “I still have to make the preparations for the ball, so if you’ll excuse me.” Without waiting for his response, she left the room, leaving behind a shocked Onew.

    “Should we—should we go after her?” Mark asked. The maknae, who was beside Chanyeol, looked frightened.

    Chanyeol stood up. “I think it’s best if we have the meeting when the other members can make it, sir,” His deep voice echoed throughout the room. “I really think that would be best.” He said carefully.

    Namjoon nodded. “I agree, sir. I’d like to talk to my team first as well, I think we’ll need it.”

    Onew started to gather his things. “One week,” He suddenly said. _A week?_ “I’m giving you guys a week to prepare for the mission. Hopefully that should be enough.” And with that, he left the room with an awful scowl on his face.

    Jimin clenched his fists once more. It was an annoying habit he got ever since he became part of the Dangerous Ability class—it seems there’s always something to be frustrated about that he can’t voice out upon, and he always resented that he couldn’t.

    “One week should be enough? Is he insane?” Chanyeol muttered.

    “This is bullshit,” Yoongi suddenly stood up. Jimin noticed his hyung was quiet the entire time when even the maknae, Mark, was voicing out his complaints. He was sure Yoongi was also worried; in their position, who wouldn’t be? “Yah, Jimin-ah, let’s go. The others are waiting for us.” He looked at Jimin expectantly.

    Jimin did as he told and started to gather his things. It was fine; the room started to feel too stuffy for his liking, anyway.

    It was nearing dinner time, and Jin had pestered them all to have a meal together because it had been several days since they’ve been complete. Jimin doubted they would all be there tonight, considering that Jungkook was with Seulgi, but it didn’t matter. He was craving for his non-Dangerous Ability friends; it reminded him of a simpler time in his life, a time when his life didn’t hang onto life or death in any given time of the day. _Those were the good ol’ days, weren’t they?_ He selfishly thought.

    “Yah, what about me? Am I not your friend?” Namjoon glared at Yoongi.

    “Come if you want. Jimin-ah, let’s go.” He replied nonchalantly. His two hyungs haven’t been on good terms lately. Jimin couldn’t blame them; their team must be terribly on edge given all that’s happened so far.

    Jimin put his arms around Namjoon as the three of them exited the room. “You know hyung’s just kidding around—of course he also wants you to be there.”

    Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Yoongi-yah’s just mad I beat him during training this morning.”

    Yoongi gave him the finger. “I was just going easy on you, _pabo.”_

_“_ Hyung? Did he really beat you?” Jimin pretended to be shocked.

    However, Yoongi just glared at him. “Sorry,” Jimin could only mutter. He never liked getting on Yoongi’s bad side.

    They were nearing Central Park, which was eerily isolated, on their way to the other park. Classes were still ongoing seeing as it was still around three in the afternoon; regular classes ended at five o’clock.

    The fountain was littered with pigeons waiting to be fed; but even Yoongi paid them no mind as the three passed the famous park by without even a second glance. 

    Usually, Jimin tried his best to fill in the silence when his hyungs didn’t feel like talking, but he had a lot to think about today.

    He’s never felt this powerless in his life; is that what’s to become of them all? Will they serve the high school principal until the day they die from one of their missions? How does that make any sense at all?

    In his peripheral view, Jimin noticed a figure moving somewhat subtly near the side of the dormitory building. _Onew?_

His professor’s unmistakable blonde hair swayed with the wind as he walked in a hurry. _Why is he in such a hurry?_ Jimin thought.

    The other two didn’t even notice him as they continued to bicker. “Seriously, for someone who claims to be so smart, you can be so dumb sometimes.”

    “What did you say?” Namjoon glared at Yoongi, who just shrugged his shoulders.

    “Hyung, c’mon, let’s not be like this.” Jimin tried to appease the two, but his eyes were following Onew’s receding footsteps. He seems to be in a hurry; did he have somewhere important to go to?

     _When will I get a chance like this again?_

“Ah!” Jimin suddenly shouted, stopping in his tracks. His two hyungs looked at him weirdly. “I forgot something at the classroom.”

    “What is it?” Namjoon asked while Yoongi just looked at him weirdly.

    “It’s the book I lent from Jin hyung. _Aish,_ he’s going to kill me if I don’t have it with me,” Jimin scratched his head. “Go on ahead!” He waved at them quickly before running in the opposite direction.

    “Let’s hope they fell for it,” Jimin muttered. He ran as fast as he could to make a horribly tiring detour in fear that he would miss Onew’s shadow. It was nearing dusk; he really had to hurry.

     _There he is._ Onew was walking at a brisk pace and seemed to be going towards the back of the dormitory. Jimin himself has never been there; he’s just always thought it was just a bunch of trees and squirrels, since the dormitory was beside the Northern Forest.

    To his surprise, there was an old shack right before where the trees are. It was strange to see such a rundown structure in an academy that can build and renovate almost anything in an instant. _What’s inside that place?_ Jimin was about to find out.

    Onew went straight inside the shack. Jimin counted for a few seconds before soundlessly making his way near the structure. He took a peek in one of the windows, and… he no one was inside.

    Confused, Jimin opened the door and went in. It really was a tool shack; it had various gardening tools scattered all around the place, almost haphazardly. “The gardener must be a very organised person,” He commented. 

    He was absolutely positive that Onew went inside this shack. But where was he? There was no way he could have disappeared like that—that wasn’t even his Alice—unless…

    Jimin stared at the ragged rug his boots were comfortably stepping on. _Could it be?_

He kicked the rug away with his boots and, lo and behold, there was a secret door right beneath him.

    “Of course there’s something like this,” He chuckled. Leave it to the academy to make things mysterious and dramatic; leave it to Jimin to fall right into their hands.

    “I’m already here so might as well.” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a few seconds, then finally, he opened the door.

    What was immediately noticeable was the definite lack of light as he stared down what could be an endless darkness. It was actually pitch black; there was no source of light at all.

    Jimin gulped down his rising fear. With steady legs, he brought them down to the ladder as his hands guided them. 

     _I really wished I had the levitation Alice right now,_ he miserably thought. How long has he been going down this ladder? It definitely felt like it’s been hours. Nevertheless, he trudged on. _I’m not a quitter,_ he thought with determination.

    Finally, his feet reached solid ground. He was again surprised to find out that he was stepping on marble floors; the sound his boots made were unmistakable. Thankfully, there was light at the end of the hall, so he had numerous shadows to guide him.

     _What is this place?_ He wondered.This was no small cave Jimin used to see in movies; this was a hall fit for a king. The walls were made of velvet, and there was an expensive scent all around the place.

    As he walked towards the light, he felt that he was nearing a tremendous amount of power. He felt like the entire area reverberated the power. _What is this?_ He was getting confused by the minute.

    Surprised that he didn’t notice it sooner, was a door right beside the light. He was about to hold the doorknob and turn it when he heard the voices inside.

    “Don’t be ridiculous, Onew. You know we can’t have the mission be delayed.”

Jimin furrowed his brows. There was definitely authority and power to that voice; however, it sounded like it came from someone not much older than he is. Was _he_ the high school principal everyone fears?

    “But your grace, Seulgi is currently—“

    “ _I know already._ I visited her earlier.” There was a sudden sharpness to his voice when he mentioned Seulgi. Somehow, he had a very bad feeling that this person wasn’t very fond of her.

    “She can absorb five Alice stones at once now—does that fix your little problem?”

    Jimin’s eyes widened. Five? It was dangerous enough to swallow a single Alice stone, and he would know. Onew made all the Dangerous Ability students swallow one each over a year ago, and most had to be hospitalised for a few days because their bodies were harshly rejecting the stone.

    How could Seulgi be able to stomach _five_ Alice stones all at once? And how would she even have reached that number? After that small experiment Onew had with them, he never gave them Alice stones ever again. Have they been continuously experimenting on Seulgi for over a year now?

     _This isn’t right, this isn’t right at all._ Jimin wanted to get away from this place and go to Seulgi’s side. He knew there was a reason why she suddenly became reclusive and was gone for days at a time.

    “With all due respect your grace, with Seulgi noona’s current condition, I don’t think she can handle five stones.” A familiar voice spoke out.

    Jimin’s blood ran cold. _What is he doing there?_

_“_ Hmm. You’re right, Jungkook. I wouldn’t want our little Seulgi to die before the actual mission, would I?”

    “I think holding off the mission for a week would really help her, and me, your grace, as we prepare to kill Taeyong.” There was no remorse in his voice, no lick of agony or sorrow whatsoever. Was the boy on the other side really his friendly _dongsaeng_?

     _He really plans on killing his former friend?_ He horribly thought.

    “Hmm.” There was a long pause. Jimin held his breath the entire time. “Fine, I’ll give you another week to prepare. _But that’s it.”_

There was something eerie about his voice that made his skin crawl. He sounded young but almost ancient at the same time. Jimin wondered what kind of face suited a voice like that.

    “Thank you, your grace.” And why did they keep on calling him that? _He’s a principal, not a royal,_ he wanted to argue.

    Jimin decided he’s heard enough, and with the help of the shadows, swiftly transformed into one so he could reach the ladder in what felt like the speed of light. He climbed up the ladders like his life depended on it, and when he reached the top, didn’t even bother to fix things the way he left them and just sprinted as far away as he can from the place.

    He ended up at Saint Park where, thankfully, no human being was present at the time. He was breathing raggedly as he sat on a bench, and it surely wasn’t because of his sudden sprint. 

    “What’s going on?!” He scratched his head profusely.

    Jimin followed his professor to get answers, not leave with more _questions_. Who was the high school principal? What kind of relationship does he have with Seulgi? Why does he want the mission to push through so badly?

    “Aaaah!” Jimin shouted, startling the quacking ducks. He looked up at the dusking sky, but all he could think of was Seulgi, suffering over a year; Seulgi, on a hospital bed; Seulgi, laying on a pool of her own blood, all because the academy had told her to.

    He reached a conclusion as he closed his eyes and burned those images in his head. “I’m going crazy, that’s all there is to it.”

    Yes, he was indeed going crazy, because he decided that he would get to the bottom of this, no matter what.

 

 

 

* * *

 


	12. Kang Seulgi

Chapter 12: _Kang Seulgi_

* * *

 

_Once again, she dreamt of red._

_Her hands were smothered in blood. It felt so recent that she thought she could feel the pulse from within the blood, the nerves flowing with blood of a life gone awaste._

_Another corpse. She was certain she didn't do this. She_ can't _have done this. She didn't kill anyone. She's done so well she couldn't have—_

_"Look in front of you." A voice whispered from behind her._

_She wanted nothing to do with that hauntingly familiar voice, and obliging its orders was the least of her desires, but it seems her mind was separate from her body as her head obediently moved upwards—_

_Jungkook, Yeri, Jimin, Namjoon, Irene... All her friends were in a heap of a mess in front of her, all so bloodied up that their faces were barely recognizable._

_"They put up a hard fight," he spoke again, this time beside her, as she horrifyingly stared at what was in front of her.  “But they were all powerless against your Alice."_

_Her hands started shaking. "No, no this isn't real—"_

_"—But you know this is what's to become of your little friends if you stay here."_

_She collapsed on the ground with her hands covering her ears. "Stop it! You're just manipulating me—"_

_He knelt down in front of her and caressed her bloodstained cheek. "One way or another I will have my way, Seulgi._

_Mark my words; you will be by my side. I will do whatever it takes, believe me."_

_She looked back at the corpses of the people she loved, massacred by her own hands. She forced her eyes shut. "Why do you want me so badly?" She whispered as she was afraid, so terribly afraid, of what the answer might be._

_He suddenly gripped a strand of her hair tightly, bringing their faces close together. "Because you have what I want, Seulgi. How many times do I have to say that for you to understand what I mean?"_

_She started crying, their deaths hitting her all at once like a sudden strike of lightning. "I don't understand what you mean, but please don't hurt them, Taeyong, please."_

_"But don't you see whose hands are stained with blood, Seulgi?_

_Is it mine, or is it yours?”_

 

Seulgi gasped as she awoke from her dream.

She quickly scanned her surroundings: there were the familiar walls of the hospital room she was admitted in, the sterile scent she had gotten used to over the days, the hard bed which had done nothing to ease her sore muscles, and, of course, Jungkook, holding her hand as he sleeps on the side of her bed.

_No deaths,_ she sighed in relief. _Not today. It was just a nightmare, that’s all_. She’s been getting those more often than in the past, which was already quite often indeed.

Not wanting to wake the boy, she did her best to manoeuvre her way into getting the water from the side table without bumping into him.

This proved an impossible task, as Jungkook stirred awake almost immediately. “Oh, noona,  how long have you been awake?”

He squeezed her hand tightly before letting go. “Just a couple of minutes ago,” she smiled at him.

Jungkook rubbed his eyes as sleep still lingered on his face. He didn’t look too well; his eyebags were darker than usual. He looked like he needed his own room to be admitted in.

“Kookie-yah, look at you,” She held his cheek as she examined his face. His cheeks were looking a bit hollow, perhaps from all the meals he’d been skipping lately due to their schedule. 

“You look awful.”

He chuckled as he gently took her hand off his face. “I don’t think it’s _me_ we should be worried about here, Seulgi-yah.”

“I feel fine, though?” She stretched her arms as evidence. “I’m thankful that it happened now, actually. How else was I going to get sleep, right?” She joked, although she didn’t think any of this was much of a laughing matter.

“Sorry, Seulgi, but I’m not changing my mind,” His grip on her hand tightened. “I’m still going to kill him the _second_ I see his face.”

Seulgi didn’t respond, but was inwardly panicking. _No, no, no, that can’t happen. I can’t let him kill Taeyong. Even after everything, he still means so much to me. I can’t lose him. Not again._

“I understand why you’re so angry, Jungkook, but let’s not rush into things—“

“Are you hearing yourself right now?” He glared at her, probably for the first time since they’ve met. 

Seulgi was shocked into silence. “The man who was in charge of all those criminals stealing our Alice stones, the man who sent out people to have us killed, to have _you_ killed—how can you still feel anything for him?”

_He doesn’t understand. I’ve been through so much with Taeyong, I—I simply can’t lose him._

“Jungkook, please don’t,” She pleaded.

Jungkook shook his head. “I didn’t realise his powers could extend to such a great distance.”

“What?” 

He looked at her straight in the eyes and spoke, “Seulgi, he’s already taken almost full control of your mind. He’s playing you, and you’ve fallen right into his trap.”

Seulgi’s eyes widened, but she shook her head vigorously. “No, that’s impossible. We’re inside the academy, his Alice couldn’t possibly—“

Seulgi knew the extent of Taeyong’s Alice, so what Jungkook was saying must be impossible. And he wouldn’t hurt her, she knew he wouldn’t, after everything they’ve been through together—

“I know how you feel about Taeyong, noona,” He withdrew back into his seat with a forlorn look on his face. “But you’ve always hated what he’s done to the academy… yet, now you’re defending him like perhaps he’s the good guy he pretended to be all along? You can’t ask me to believe any of that.”

She slowly closed her eyes as the realisation finally sinks in. _I’ve been played yet again. How can I ever trust my own thoughts when every idea and decision I make may have been a seed he planted on my mind?_

“I’m scared, Jungkook,” She whispered, for fear that _he_ might hear her. It had finally dawned on her that her thoughts may not be her own. “I can’t even trust myself anymore.”

Her hands started to tremble. The capacity of Taeyong’s Alice was beyond any of them could have ever imagined. How could he have gotten so strong in so little time?

His big hands enveloped her surprisingly delicate ones. “I’m here for you, Seulgi,” His gaze never wavered from her, and there was a solidarity in his voice that sounded infinitely comforting. 

“I’ll never leave you, you know that.”

“Jungkook,” She choked as a tear escaped an eye. She’s never been this terrified before; how could she not be? Someone other than herself could use her Alice, make her lose control and hurt the people she cared about. The terrifying idea clouded her entire mind—it was the only thing she could think of. Taeyong was right; her nightmare might truly become a reality, with or without her consent.

The door swung open, revealing Onew, who entered the room with calculated ease. He had his papers with him, and there was a clear dullness to his aura that was unusual for him. “Oh, you’re awake?”  
He looked at their intertwined hands critically. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” He commented as he took the chair at the other side of the bed.

They chose to ignore his remark, as they usually do whenever they were distressed. “Taeyong’s hold on noona is stronger than we thought, sir,” Jungkook obediently reported.

Onew sighed. “I had a feeling that was the case,” He suddenly stood up. “You’re well enough to walk, right? _His grace_ is calling for you two.” Her body immediately froze up. What could his grace be requesting them for?

_No, Seulgi,_ she reprimanded herself internally, _after years and years of this, you should be used to him by now._

Seulgi easily moved towards the side of her bed to stand up, but Jungkook stopped her. “It’s okay, noona, I can go for you. Just rest.”

“He asked for _both_ of you.” Onew commanded. 

Jungkook glared at him. “I’m fine, Kookie-yah, really,” Seulgi slowly gets up from her bed. “It wasn’t my body that was damaged, anyway. It’s this.” She tapped her forehead, which was still constantly throbbing from the dull pain of Taeyong’s dangerous yet extraordinary Alice.

He reluctantly took a step back to give her space. Seulgi wanted to say something, anything, really, to comfort her maknae, but she felt so anxious that someone else could be playing with her mind right now that she couldn’t trust the words that would come out of her mouth.

 

There was a peculiarly awkward silence as the three headed towards the high school principal’s _throne room,_ as his grace so fondly calls it. Usually, Jungkook would talk about anything under the sun with Seulgi while Onew listens quietly from behind them, but today, even the talkative maknae was silent.

Seulgi didn’t mind, however. This gave her the silence she needed to think. But is whatever she thinks even her own anymore? What if Taeyong already thought of an elaborate strategy to infiltrate the academy through—

_Oh, whatever,_ Seulgi tiredly thought. _There’s not much difference between this and what the academy’s done to me, anyway._

That realisation felt oddly relieving to her. However, the small enlightenment it gave her quickly dissolved when she noticed many students were, once again, whispering behind their backs as the three passed by the common areas.

Seulgi’s fists tightened into balls. They didn’t have any right to judge her the way they’ve always done; they don’t know her circumstances. They don’t know what she’s been forced to do. None of them even know anything, so how can they speak so ill of her regardless? 

Now that she thought of it, perhaps most, if not all, the people she’s met in her life have judged her at some point. Seulgi looked at Jungkook, who was trying his best to ignore the girls trying to get his attention, and at Onew, who looked like he was deep in thought. Yes, even these people, the people closest to her, had looked at her like she was a deranged killer at some point.

_But don’t they know that I was only ordered to kill? That I’ve never killed for my own intentions before? How could they look at me like—like I wanted to kill all those criminals?_ Her head was throbbing madly at this point, and it took every ounce of her strength not to collapse.

So many negative thoughts were swirling around her head that she couldn’t keep up with them all. All the self-doubt, hate, and fear she kept carefully hidden within the confines of her Pandora’s box were being unraveled, and she was powerless to stop them. She’s never felt so mentally harassed in her life.

“Seulgi!” Someone called out to her. She didn’t want to look up; her head was so heavy with her thoughts that she almost felt the need to carry it with her own hands.

_But that voice sounded so warm and familiar._ With a heavy heart, she lifted her head towards the person who called out to her.

Jimin rushed towards her with his usual bright smile. 

Seulgi suddenly wanted to cry. 

She wanted to bottle up that smile and keep it in her pocket forever, opening it only when she feels like life isn’t quite worth living anymore.

Beside him were his friends, one of which was her own as well—Taehyung and Hoseok were at either sides of Jimin, also equipped with cheery smiles.

Some of the dark haze in her mind cleared as the three boys neared them. She lifted her head towards the sky and took a deep breath. _That feels so much better,_ she thought.

“Yo, Seulgi! You well enough to be out of the hospital so soon?” Taehyung put an arm over shoulders as they started to walk with her group. 

Jimin elbowed him hard on the side, causing him to let go as he held his body in pain. “I’m really glad to see you’re all better, Seulgi.” He tilted his head a bit downwards as he faced her, which was possibly a natural action for him, but it caught Seulgi off guard so much that a blush rapidly appeared on her cheeks.

“Oh, your face is red! Are you really okay?” Jimin put a hand on her forehead. Seulgi definitely had no idea what was going on inside or outside her body, so she was as clueless as he was. Maybe she really was sick all along? _Funny, my head doesn’t hurt as much anymore._

“You’re not that hot, though. Maybe you need to go have another checkup with the doctor.”

She found it hard to look at his eyes, so she settled on looking at just about everywhere else instead. “I wasn’t diagnosed with any illness, though…”

“I’m sure you kids will have enough time for chats later,” Onew interrupted. “But for now, we’re busy. Off with you three now.”

“Seulgi, when were you released?” Taehyung, completely ignoring their professor, stopped Seulgi by the shoulders.

“Just now, actually,” Seulgi answered. She was starting to worry about the time; _his grace_ hated it whenever they arrived later than he expected, and she really didn’t think her body could handle one of his moods right now.

“What?!” Jimin pushed Taehyung away. “And you’re already out walking and doing things?”

Seulgi waved her hands at him. “I’m completely fine now, though. There’s no need to—“

Without another word, Taehyung put his shoulders around her—successfully this time—and pulled her away from Onew and Jungkook. “—this isn’t right, Seulgi. You need some rest.”

Onew glared at him. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing—“

Jimin went on to drag the maknae with him. “You too, Jungkook-ah. You barely had a wink of sleep while you watched over Seulgi!” 

Seulgi sent an alarming look towards Jungkook, who, while also alarmed to some degree, was mostly just going with the flow. 

“Don’t worry about them, sir,” Jimin saluted to Onew, who was uncharacteristically quiet. “We’ll nurse them back to perfect health so that they may do whatever it is they need to do.”

After a few seconds, Onew sighed. “ _He_ is not going to be happy about this,” he muttered. Seulgi could only imagine the fit of rage he would cause inside his throne room when he finds out their meeting will have to be delayed. “But, you’re right. I’ll let them rest for now.”

After he had shortly left, the three released heavy sighs of relief.

` “Yo, I thought I was gonna get in trouble for this!” Taehyung exclaimed.

Hoseok cradled his chest. “My heart was beating _so fast.”_

Jungkook and Seulgi looked at each other questioningly. “Hyung, what’s going on?”

Jimin scratched his head as he smiled at the two. “Well, it was true you two needed to rest, but… that’s not the only reason we wanted to bail you two out.”

Seulgi looked at him suspiciously. “What do you mean, _bail_ us out? There’s—he’s not—I mean—We’re not in jail, or anything like that.” she ended lamely.

“Hyung,” Jungkook spoke quietly. “What do you know?”

“Jungkook!” Seulgi looked at him sharply, appalled that he would give them away so easily.

“Not much,” Jimin admitted. “But, I know enough. Anyway, that’s why I got you guys out.

I think you both have some explaining to do.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Jeon Jungkook

_“I hope you never have to think about anything as much as I think about you.”_

— Jonathan Safran Foer

 

Chapter 12: _Jeon Jungkook_

* * *

 

“What have you guys been up to, really? I know what I heard, and something weird is definitely going on.”

Jimin was standing in front of them with a concerned look on his face, an unusual expression from his usual bright demeanor.

Jungkook could feel Seulgi slide just a bit closer to him. He stole a glance at her and noticed immediately how she cradled her head gingerly, no matter how subtly she was trying to do it.

They were in Jimin’s special-star room, which was nearly identical to his own room, which only meant that there was definitely still a lot of space just for a single person. Jungkook made Seulgi sit on the bed with him, deaf to her complaints about her being well enough to stand. Now, he would never underestimate his _noona,_ but if she could sit rather than stand, why not take the better option? 

He could tell she was now grateful for his persistence—she was starting to slightly lean on him, and he could tell she was having a hard time focusing on what Jimin was saying.

“What has the high school principal been doing to you, Seulgi-yah?” Jimin approached her, and in that second Jungkook felt a distinct ache echo in his heart as he witnessed the look on his _hyung_ ’s face as he spoke to her. 

Jungkook envied his _hyung._ He wished it was easy to view the high school principal as evil, he really did. The things his grace has done to him, and most especially to Seulgi… and yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to look at him without a sort of affection as well. His grace had effectively raised him, Seulgi, and Taeyong, and although his traitor  _hyung_ might have lost all his affection towards the principal, he and Seulgi certainly have not.

But all his eyes could see at the moment was how genuinely concerned Jimin was for Seulgi. Was it really that simple all along? “It’s… it’s nothing, really.” She blushed as she looked away from his _hyung_ ’s deeply concerned eyes.

Jungkook imagined a vast meadow, with him in the middle of it. He could feel the breeze lightly pass by his face as he inhaled the fresh scent of grass and wildflowers. It was just him in solitude; but it was the kind that he knew would bring him eternal peace. He wished he could be there instead of witnessing what was in front of him.

“Don’t lie to me, Seulgi, please,” Jimin crouched so that there was no avoiding his eyes. “I want to help you. Please let me.”

Jungkook stared at his fists, slowly opening then closing them. Nothing was amiss; he was beside Seulgi, so there was no chance of _him_ having an appearance. But, still, there was a disquiet slowly building in his mind, and he had no idea what it was. He glanced at the two.

Well, maybe he did.

It started happening ever since he fainted in the hospital room. It was only for a couple of seconds, but when he woke up, his brain felt a bit fuzzy, like a thin film of _something_ was wrapped on the entirety of his brain.

At that moment, the white noise in his brain was getting louder and louder the more he saw his _hyung_ and _noona_ talk to each other. He didn’t like what he was seeing, but he didn’t like what he was feeling, either, so he was in a bit of a conundrum.

He breathed a sigh of relief when someone started knocking on the door.

“Oh, good, that must be them,” Jimin quickly stood up then opened the door to greet whoever his other visitors were.

Perhaps finally remembering that he was there, Seulgi turned towards him. “What are we going to do, Kookie-yah? I mean, we don’t know how much he knows, but it’s all still sensitive information.”

He returned her gaze, always so innocent and clueless even after everything she’s been through. Why has it that he’s changed so much when his _noona,_ who’s been through far worse, could still keep her heart ripe and open for picking? _She was always like this, even back then with Taeyong,_ he bitterly thought.

“ _Noona,”_ He spoke quietly. Lately, he found that speaking in a low volume is best when you really want the other person to listen. It was as if everything he had to say was of grave importance. “Do you still like Taeyong _?”_

Seulgi slightly flinched at the mention of his name. “We already talked about this, Kookie-yah,” she found herself speaking in low volumes as well. 

“Do you like someone else, then?” He couldn’t help it; he needed to know. Seulgi was more than just a _noona_ to him; she was his closest friend, his partner-in-crime, his first and only love. It has always been her, even back when she couldn’t take her eyes off Taeyong, or when she could look at no one else after his surprising betrayal. She was more than just a person to him; she was his anchor to this world. To his sanity, even.

He needed to know.

And to see her cheeks slowly turn red as she looks away in avoidance to his question, he could feel another part of him slowly rotting away, as if her Alice got ahold of the most tender part of his heart. 

“Why—why would you even…” She looked flustered, with her ears even turning red in embarrassment. She stole a glance towards the door which gave him all the confirmation he needed.

Jungkook wondered whether he became the catalyst of her new awareness of affection towards Jimin. If so, he would like to just let _him_ take over his body because at least _he_ wouldn’t do such an idiotic thing.

He grabbed her hand suddenly and tightened his grip. “Seulgi-yah,” Jungkook stared at her hard. “We need to talk after this.”

She tilted her head in confusion. “Okay, but about what?” Jungkook just shook his head then smiled. 

“Seulgi-yah! _Omo,_ I didn’t even know you were getting released today!” Wendy shouted as she came running towards her. Irene, Joy, and Yeri followed behind her, all with equally concerned yet angry looks on their faces.

Jungkook stood up to give them all space. Besides, he needed to get some air, anyway. There was so much going on within the academy recently, but all he could wrap his head around was the knowledge that Seulgi had moved on from Taeyong with someone else _that wasn’t him._

He went towards the window and opened it to let the breeze in as he leaned his elbows on the window frame. He was looking at the forest, but not really. All his focus was on rapidly beating heart, as he did his best to calm it down.

 _Maybe this was for the best,_ Jungkook reasoned out. He did wonder what would happen if _he_ took complete control over him, which he knew had a complete possibility of happening, and Jungkook was certain that Seulgi would be _his_ first target. _Maybe, maybe._

“Yah, let’s talk about this later! Look at the poor thing, she needs to rest!” Irene’s voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. He turned back to everyone, and saw Irene shielding Seulgi from the others.

“That’s fair. I’ll bring her to her room,” Jimin offered. Before he knew what he was doing, Jungkook went over to them and took Seulgi’s hand before hedid.

“I’ll do it, _hyung,”_ Jungkook smiled. Jimin stepped back, a bit surprised, then nodded.

“Everyone, come back at my room later after dinner, alright?” And with that, everyone dispersed.

Jungkook still held Seulgi’s hand as they left the room first while his other arm was wrapped around her shoulder. “Yah,” She admonished him.

“I can walk fine on my own.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Can you really, _noona?”_ She was always doing that, he observed. She always wanted to pretend she was brave, that she could handle her own if the world turned against her.

Jungkook knew, perhaps more than anyone, that she was never good at lying. He decided he'd entertain her bravado. “I guess I just wanted to be close with you, _noona.”_

She blushed at his teasing remark. He knew she was blushing not because of his words, but because he caught her redhanded with her lying. “And you think I’d totally believe that?” 

Jungkook just shrugged. Soon enough, they reached her room. After he had helped her sit down on the bed, he was on his way to go, but her words stopped him.

“Oh, yeah! Didn’t you say we needed to talk? Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“I didn’t forget,” he murmured. He totally did, but it would have been better if she had also forgotten his words. He had lost all the desperate courage he had earlier.

She patted the space beside her bed. “What’s up, Kookie-yah?”

He wanted to run away. This was a stupid idea; it was _clear_ that she liked someone else, so what was the point of confessing? It would hurt so much more to hear the rejection come from her own mouth.

No, he couldn’t do it. He was always faithful to his words, but not at that moment. “I’ll tell you when you get better, Seulgi-yah.” He smiled at her. Well, he couldn’t bring himself to fully erase the idea from his head, but delaying it was better than anything.

She reached out her hand to him. “Jeon Jungkook,” she smiled at him. “Something’s bothering you. What is it?” Instinctively, his hand caught hers. 

He cursed at himself internally. She gestured for him to sit down next her, but instead he knelt down in front of her, much to her surprise.

They were at eye-level, so Jungkook could clearly see the darkness under her eyes. She must have felt so tired, but her eyes sparkled at him as if he was going to teach her something incredibly interesting.

“ _Noona…”_ Jungkook stared at her—at the love of his life. It has only ever been Kang Seulgi, and not even once, had she ever looked his way.

Why was fate so, so cruel to him?

She laughed as she smoothed his eyebrows with her thumbs. “What’s troubling you?” He wasn't going to do anything, really. He just wanted to meet her eye-to-eye and have a talk.

But it all went to hell when he suddenly kissed her.

Jungkook wasn’t intending to; but he found his hands cradling her cheeks after she had touched him, as he brought their faces together. “Seulgi,” he whispered to her lips. 

“I don’t think you know, but I’ve always been in love with you.”

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t respond to his words. He looked at her and pleaded with his eyes— _please, love me back, it’s all I could ever want. It’s all I’ve ever wanted._

“Jungkook-ah.” Understandably, he left his _noona_ speechless. Tentatively, he brushed his lips against hers again without breaking eye contact. His heart leaped when she closed her eyes. He kissed her a bit harder, but immediately stopped when he felt something wet drip down his hands.

She was crying.

He immediately stood up. _What have I done?_ _I shouldn’t have kissed her. I knew she liked someone else. I knew Taeyong was still messing with her mind. I know…_

_... I know that she didn’t like me back._

He would rather see himself rejected than have her be in any kind of pain whatsoever. Knowing that he made her cry put him in a kind of pain that was a thousand times more agonizing than anything he's ever felt. “ _Noona,_ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it—“

“Jungkook-ah.” Tears were still streaming down her face. Her cracking her voice was a stab to his heart. “Jungkook-ah, come back here.”

He took a deep breath. Was he ready for this? He would never be, but it was better to get it over with. Deal with the pain now so he could have all the time in the world to slowly heal it back.

This time, he did sit beside her. He couldn’t look at her crying face; not when he knew he caused it. He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night for the rest of his life.

“Look at me.” He slowly lifted his face to meet hers. She was still crying.

“How long?” She asked quietly.

“Around ten years.” He replied honestly. It was best to let it all out, so that moving on would be less painful. Of course, he knew he would never be able to move on from her, but it was a nice and distracting thought from the present.

She offered her pinky to him, which he had automatically linked with his. _Practice a bit more restraint, Jeon Jungkook,_ he cursed at himself.

“I—I never knew,” she confessed. 

He met her gaze. “I know you didn’t.” he softly replied. And that was the truth: if he didn’t say anything, she would have never known. He wondered if that was less painful than being rejected.

He would never know, he supposed. “I guess things have always been a bit gray between us, though…” she awkwardly laughed. Maybe she wasn’t as naive as he thought she was.

“But, _noona,”_ he chuckled at himself, because he couldn’t believe the next words he was going to say to her. 

“I know you don’t love me the way I love you.”

Her grip on his finger tightened. “Jeon Jungkook,” her voice suddenly sounded so sure and that made him very terrified. “How can you even say that? After everything we’ve been through? Of course I—I probably love you more than you love me!”

“That’s not the kind of love I want!” She flinched from his sharp words. “That’s not—that’s not the kind of love I _need,_ not from you, Seulgi. I…” 

His eyes were starting to water. _Traitors,_ he started cursing at his eyes. “… I need you to love me the way I love you. And, if you don’t, then—“

“You’re not _listening_ to me, Jungkook-ah. I’m telling you that I _do_ love you back!”

He shook his head vigorously. “No, you don’t. I know—I know because it’s not me you love,” Tears flowed freely from his eyes. “I know where your eyes look when you think no one’s watching. I know, because all I could ever look at is you.”

She started sobbing, while his heart left fragments all over his body. “I do, I—I love you, Jungkook. I really do. How can I prove it to you?” Her voice sounded desperate. It left a sick feeling in his stomach.

He looked away from her searching eyes. “It hurts so much more when it’s not real, _noona.”_

Then, without any warning, she brought her face closer and met his lips with hers. It was by no means an innocent kiss like what he had done earlier; it was rough, messy, but most of all, it tasted of desperation.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he held the back of her neck and deepened the kiss. Jungkook wanted so badly to think rationally, to stand his ground, but it was so much easier for him to follow his heart and have her, even if it was just the smallest piece. Even if that piece was just part of his delusional mind. It didn't matter; nothing else mattered at all, except for her.

“Come with me to the ball,” she whispered to his lips, before kissing him again but a bit more tender this time. “Let’s dance and dance until our legs give out, so that we’ll be together forever.”

There was a myth surrounding the annual masquerade ball in the academy that perhaps every student knew by heart: when it was time to dance by the bonfire, you dance with whoever you like, but once the music cuts off, both you and your partner have to remove your masks, and whoever your partner was at that time, you two would end up being together forever.

He didn’t quite believe in all of that, but he couldn’t find it in himself to speak after what just happened, so he merely nodded.

Seulgi smiled at him as she wiped away the tears from his cheeks. “It’s going to take more than that to get rid of me, Jeon Jungkook.”

Jungkook laughed at her, then snuck a small peck on her lips. He was happy; his heart was happy. He wasn’t going to overthink this. 

No, he won’t _allow_ himself to overthink this. 

“I don’t think I can live without you, Seulgi.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you guys so much for your comments, criticisms, even the simple messages—it means a lot to us authors when our stories get appreciated. Thank you, truly. x
> 
> 1) In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn’t have done a love square—it just complicates everything. (To be fair, I wasn’t even intending to in the first place. It was only supposed to be a Seulmin vs Seulkook thing…) 
> 
> 2) I truly apologize for this, but So Far Away will be on hiatus indefinitely. I seemed to have lost track of the purpose of the story, and I have no idea how to write a chapter without it looking like a filler, and I hate fillers. I am terribly, terribly sorry to those who subsribe to SFA :(
> 
> 3) On the flip side, though, I’ve been wanting to write a story that’s contemporary, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Of course, Seulgi will still be the main character. As for the other characters, well… you’ll have to find that out for yourself. Writing fantasy all the time can be a bit overwhelming.
> 
> 4) Sorry, just one more note: I know we are all mostly Seulmin shippers here, but let me tell you all, the rise of Chanseul took me by surprise. I 100% did not expect that. And to think Chanyeol, one of the more popular members of Exo, would openly interact with a female idol when he’s been so careful recently about that, makes me worried. In general, not because I think they’re dating or anything like that! You know how some fans can get. I do know that a lot of Exo-L’s are also fans of Red Velvet, but… yeah, I lost my point. There was a sudden rise in Chanseul and a sudden iceberg appeared in front of Seulmin. Yes.
> 
> 5) To all my fellow seulmin shippers: I know we ship seulmin heavily, but, please, let's stay respectful to the artists. Seulgi and Jimin are more than the ship we've created for them--they are artists. We should respect that above all else.
> 
> In light of that, let's support both Seulgi and Yesung's new song from SM Station. Jimin wasn't in the song nor the M/V and has virtually no connection with Seulgi or Yesung whatsoever, really, so if you'd like to imagine that it was Jimin instead of Yesung, I suggest you create a fanfic instead or whatever--just don't be disrespectful. Because of the massive comments on the M/V, I am 100% sure both Seulgi and Jimin will be very wary of each other's presence, which is something that, although brings me so much sadness, it's something they have to do: both for the image of their groups and also for themselves, because they are more than a ship we fans have created for them. I doubt we would get any btsvelvet moments from here on out.
> 
> The end is near. Cheers x


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